Twitter will now attach a special label to any Tweets made by major political figures that breach the site’s rules rather than deleting them.
The social media platform has previously faced criticism for not removing controversial Tweets from the likes of US President Donald Trump that arguably violate the site’s rules and policies.
But the site has decided to factor in the newsworthiness of such posts as part of the latest change.
“There are certain cases where it may be in the public’s interest to have access to certain Tweets, even if they would otherwise be in violation of our rules,” said Twitter in a statement.
“On the rare occasions when this happens, we’ll place a notice – a screen you have to click or tap through before you see the Tweet – to provide additional context and clarity.”
The message hiding the Tweets will read: “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”.
The new rules only apply to accounts that are verified, have over 100,000 followers and represent a government official.
Such Tweets will not be recommended to users through any of Twitter’s algorithms.
Twitter has not said whether it will be company CEO Jack Dorsey who makes the ultimate decision on whether certain Tweets require flagging, but said the Legal, Policy and Trust & Safety team will be responsible.
