Twitter introduces new policy for deepfakes

Twitter has introduced a new policy for dealing with synthetic and manipulated media (including deepfakes). The policy prohibits users from deceptively sharing synthetic or manipulated media that are likely to cause harm. Moreover, the company intends to label tweets containing synthetic and manipulated media ‘to help people understand their authenticity and to provide additional context’. If it is believed that media shared in a tweet has been significantly and deceptively altered or fabricated, Twitter will provide additional context on the tweets sharing the media. Measures taken in such cases could include: applying a label to the content where it appears on Twitter; showing a warning to people before they share or like the content; reducing the visibility of the content on Twitter and/or preventing it from being recommended; and providing a link to additional explanations or clarifications. In addition, tweets that share synthetic and manipulated media likely to cause harm will be subject to removal under the new policy, which will become effective starting 5 March 2020.