Skip to main content

Twitter will start labeling state-affiliated media accounts

Twitter announced Thursday, August 6 that it will start labeling state-affiliated media accounts on its platform in order to ensure “transparency” to users who interact with those accounts.

The company said that by labeling the accounts, users will be able to make “informed decisions about what they see and how they engage on Twitter.” The move comes after Twitter’s November announcement that state-affiliated media accounts will no longer be able to advertise on the site, a move designed to protect “healthy discourse and open conversation.”

“For clarity: we don’t let state-affiliated media accounts advertise on Twitter,” the company added in a tweet Thursday. “We’ll also no longer include them or their Tweets in recommendations, as we continue to support a free and independent press.”

Twitter’s move Thursday comes after months of a string of other product feature updates aimed to quell the spread of misinformation and targeted harassment. Within the last year it introduced a way to hide replies to tweets, control who is allowed to reply to tweets, and even installed a prompt to ensure users read an article before retweeting it.

For clarity: we don't let state-affiliated media accounts advertise on Twitter. We’ll also no longer include them or their Tweets in recommendations, as we continue to support a free and independent press.

More on this policy and new labels: https://t.co/BY1jTO46Zc (2/2)

— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) August 6, 2020

Twitter became one of the first major social media companies to ban politically funded advertisements on its platform in 2019. CEO Jack Dorsey said that political ads have the capability to dampen public discourse, spread misinformation, and manipulate videos.

Going forward, all state-funded and affiliated media accounts, foreign ministers, ambassadors, government spokespeople, and diplomatic leaders will be labeled under their account name. As it stands now, the labels will only apply to the five countries in the United Nations Security Council: Russia, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, and China.

Editors' Recommendations

Meira Gebel
Meira Gebel is a freelance reporter based in Portland. She writes about tech, social media, and internet culture for Digital…
Many Twitter accounts could soon lose blue checkmarks
Twitter Blue menu option on a white screen background which is on a black background.

If your Twitter profile page currently displays a blue checkmark and you’re not planning to subscribe to Twitter Blue, expect to lose the mark before too long.

Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, said on Monday that “all legacy blue checks” will be removed “in a few months,” adding that the way they were given out was “corrupt and nonsensical.”

Read more
What is Twitter Blue and is it worth it?
Twitter Blue menu option on a white screen background which is on a black background.

If you spend time on Twitter, you've probably heard the phrase "Twitter Blue" at some point and wondered what exactly it is. We're not talking about the signature shade of blue featured in its logo -- we're talking about the premium version of Twitter.

That's right. There's a paid tier for Twitter that many people don't even know exists that launched in July of 2021. And then relaunched again under Elon Musk's ownership in November 2022. Don't worry -- we'll explain everything below.
What is Twitter Blue?

Read more
What is Mastodon? Here’s why everyone’s talking about this Twitter alternative
Series of four mobile screenshots showing Mastodon's sign-up process.

By now you've no doubt heard about Mastodon. It's a social media platform that's been bandied about as an alternative to Twitter, particularly among users who aren't comfortable with the direction Twitter is going in now that Elon Musk is at the helm.

In fact, since Musk first announced that he was planning on buying the popular microblogging platform, Mastodon has garnered quite a bit of attention and experienced significant growth. But though you've likely heard about Mastodon, you may not be familiar with how it works or haven't decided whether or not it would be a good fit for you if you ever choose to leave Twitter and need an alternative social media platform. Don't worry. We've got you covered. In this guide, we'll get you up to speed on everything you need to know about social media's buzziest new platform.
What is Mastodon?

Read more