Twitter Considers Labeling Trump Tweets with Special Warning

President Trump’s use of Twitter has certainly revolutionized the way in which we receive political information here in America, but that distinction carries with it a new set of challenges as well.

Never before has a President willingly communicated to We The People and the world at large with such ease.  At the drop of a hat, the Commander in Chief can inform the entire known universe about what he had for lunch, or what he thinks about international politics.  This double-edge sword has been the center of a lively debate among politicos fro some time, wondering if perhaps too much Trumpian truth is healthy for us.

Of course, the President has his critics, even in Silicon Valley.  The mucky mucks in this informational hub of the nation have long been at war with the President, and the ever-radical ideas of the liberal base have certainly affected the way in which these web giants behave and regulate themselves.

Twitter is now taking things a step further, however, in considering a new labeling scheme for tweets from President Trump.

A Twitter executive on Wednesday said the company is considering a new feature that will label tweets from politicians, including President Trump, when they violate Twitter rules.

Vijaya Gadde, Twitter’s head of legal, policy, and trust and safety, at a Washington Post event on Wednesday said the company might start annotating offensive tweets from public figures with a message about why they remain up.

Twitter has long held that some posts from public figures should remain up because they are “newsworthy,” even when they violate Twitter guidelines.

“One of the things we’re working really closely on with our product and engineering folks is, ‘How can we label that?’” Gadde said during the Post event. “How can we put some context around it so people are aware that that content is actually a violation of our rules and it is serving a particular purpose in remaining on the platform?”

Twitter’s move is reminiscent of a similar strategy unveiled by Microsoft, in which which their Edge internet browser will come with pre-installed “fact checking” software from controversial group NewsGuard.

The real issue, of course, is that we are training our next generations to take Twitter’s word for it, any time they refute one of their users.  This dumbing-down of the American electorate is dangerous, as it clouds the truth under layers of nuance and political maneuvering.