Twitter said on Thursday that it would begin labeling tweets from political figures that it could otherwise have taken down for breaking its rules. Before this, Twitter had maintained that such tweets from national leaders - even allegedly hateful ones - should remain in full public view as it was in the public interest to see the their views unfettered. The company said the new policy applies to government officials/appointees and political candidates who have verified accounts with more than 100,000 followers, and will be used rarely. Before users can view tweets that the company has flagged for violating its guidelines, they will need to click on a notice that reads: “The Twitter Rules about abusive behaviour apply to this Tweet. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain available.” This notice won’t be applied to any tweets sent before June 27, the company said. Twitter said it would also take steps to de-prioritise such tweets "to strike the right balance between enabling free expression, fostering accountability, and reducing the potential harm caused by these tweets". It said such tweets won't appear in safe search results; in timelines set to show Top Tweets rather than chronological tweets; live events pages; push notifications for recommended tweets; the notifications tab; and Explore. It added, however, that tweets containing direct threats of violence or calls to commit violence were "unlikely to be considered in the public interest" and would be removed. How will Twitter decide when to use this notice?…
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