Twitter is fighting against climate change misinformation
Twitter announced through a World Earth Day post on their blog last Friday that it will no longer allow advertisements that go against the scientific consensus on climate change. Advertisers that use scientific language on the platform must conform with the current agreed-upon language by scientific bodies. In the process, all climate change deniers will no longer be able to advertise on the platform.
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“We believe that climate denialism shouldn’t be monetized on Twitter, and that misrepresentative ads shouldn’t detract from important conversations about the climate crisis,” the company stated in the post.
Related: Teen tracks Elon Musk’s jet, brings attention to pollution
This is not the first step the giant social media company took to stop climate deniers. Previously, the company rejected all posts contradicting climate change through the inappropriate content policy. Although the approach worked for a while, the company has now formalized the process.
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The company will now rely on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to control these types of advertisements. The IPCC is a United Nations body responsible for assessing the science of human-caused climate change.
Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have been a weak link in the fight against climate misinformation. People who rely on the platforms for information are often misled by advertisements that are not based on research.
Twitter’s announcement came at a time when the company was trying to avoid a takeover from Elon Musk. But now that it is, who knows what will become of the place.
Via Business Insider and CNET