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Twitter Unveils Plan to Combat Misinformation in 2022 US Midterm Elections

The social media company is starting its efforts before the election season kicks into high gear.

MaryBeth Monaco-Vavrik Writer Intern
MaryBeth is a writer intern with the CNET Home team covering a wide array of topics such as appliances, tech, money, wellness and health. She is finishing her undergraduate degree in political science and communication studies at Davidson College in North Carolina, where she works to reduce sexual violence. She believes in the power of information, racial and gender equity, communication and a good sit-com.
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MaryBeth Monaco-Vavrik
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Twitter is laying out its plan to address misinformation ahead of the 2022 US midterm elections in November. In a blog post Thursday, the social media company outlined efforts to combat false information while promoting "credible" data and a "healthy civic conversation."

Twitter will enforce its Civic Integrity Policy, which seeks to protect elections and root out misleading tweets. The platform will issue warning labels and reduce the visibility of false information related to voting, of content meant to intimidate voters and of claims designed to undermine public confidence elections. 

In some cases, people may be unable to like or share tweets with misleading information in order to minimize their reach, said Twitter. The company will also proactively address common misinformation by putting prompts in people's timelines or when they search for related terms or hashtags. 

The approach is crucial "to protect the civic conversation on Twitter, and to make it easier to find reliable information about elections," Twitter spokesperson Elizabeth Busby told CNET.

In addition, people using Twitter can also expect to see information on how and where to vote, a US elections explore tab and state-specific hubs with "real-time election information from state election officials, plus local news outlets and journalists."