The popular microblogging platform is looking to crowdsource its fact-checking efforts, similar to Twitter’s community notes system.
Weibo has become the first major Chinese social media platform to trial a “side note” function akin to “community notes” on X, formerly known as Twitter. The move to allow certain verified users to add responses and fact-check posts comes as authorities have renewed calls for a cleanup of misinformation and rumors in Chinese cyberspace.
The function has been opened to verified corporate accounts and “some influencer accounts” during the trial period so far, the platform said on Thursday, after announcing the function earlier in August.
The function allows government and media accounts to label certain content as rumors, and approved users to add information or provide responses to content relevant to them. Only one side note will be displayed next to a post, and the note will be removed if a post’s author provides evidence verifying the content.
A search through Weibo by Sixth Tone did not find many side notes on the platform. In one note, an influencer clarified the age range of “youngsters” in a news post about thyroid cancer among young people.
The platform has said that the function will strengthen its governance of misinformation, adding that more types of notes may be added in the future based on users’ feedback.
The move comes a month after the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s top internet watchdog, called for online platforms to label rumors and controversial content as such swiftly — especially those related to public policy, civil affairs, and major breaking events. Continue to read the full article here
This article originally appeared on Sixth Tone.
