Twitter Launches Search Prompt With EC to Tackle Misinformation

This decision came ahead of upcoming Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.

(Photo IANS)

In an effort to tackle misinformation, Twitter on Monday, 15 March, announced the launch of information search prompt with the Election Commission of India and State Election Commissions.

This decision came in the view of upcoming Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.

“By leveraging the power of the ‘Open Internet’, we are encouraging people across India to be a part of the #AssemblyElections2021 conversation. None of this would be possible without support from the Election Commission of India, the State Election Commissions, and we hope our efforts contribute to healthy and vibrant civic dialogue.”

Payal Kamat, Manager Public Policy & Government, Twitter India

What Is Search Prompt?

Search Prompt is a new feature designed to easily find credible and authoritative information about candidate lists, voting dates, polling booths, and EVM (electronic voting machine) voter registration, among other election-related topics, reported IANS.

It will be active in six languages including Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Assamese, Hindi, and English, supporting more than 20 hashtags, said Twitter.

Twitter also announced other initiatives like #DemocracyAdda, a youth discussion series to improve voter literacy and civic participation among young Indians in Assembly elections. A custom emoji will also be launched to encourage participation.

Additionally, to put spotlight on women in Indian politics, Twitter said it will be bringing back #HerPoliticalJourney, a video series where women political leaders talk about their personal stories with leading women news journalists.

Twitter said it is publishing a series of pre-bunk prompts across languages including English, Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali based on content by the national and State Election Commissions and civil society partners such as Youth Ki Awaz, Association of Democratic Reforms.

The prompts will appear on people's home timelines and in ‘Search’, including information about how to register to vote, and details on EVMs and VVPATs (voter verifiable paper audit trail).

(With inputs from IANS)