Twitter tests allowing users to flag misleading tweets

By Sheila Dang

(Reuters) - Twitter Inc will begin a pilot test to let users flag to the company tweets they believe contain misleading content, the social media firm said Tuesday, part of its efforts to reduce misinformation on the platform.

Users will be able to report a tweet they believe contains misleading political or health information, or is inaccurate for any other reason, a Twitter spokesperson said.

The test is not the first time Twitter has sought help from its users to identify content that could spread misinformation. In January, it launched a program called Birdwatch, which lets participants write notes and provide additional context to misleading tweets, though those notes are held on a separate website.

The company will test the feature in the United States, Australia and South Korea to start, the spokesperson added.

Once a user marks a tweet as misleading, it will be reviewed by a combination of automated technology and human moderators, which will decide whether to take action, Twitter said.

(Reporting by Sheila Dang in Dallas; Editing by David Holmes)