Twitter Adds Fact-Check Notices to Trump Tweets on Mail-In Ballots

Twitter for the first time applied a fact-checking notice to a tweet from President Donald Trump, hours after the company denied a widower’s request to delete the president’s posts circulating conspiracy theories about his wife’s death. Twitter applied the fact-checking notices to two tweets from the president about the potential for fraud involving mail-in ballots. With a small label—“Get the facts about mail-in ballots”—and a link to more information, Twitter alerted its users that those claims were unsubstantiated. The tweets “contain potentially misleading information about voting processes and have been labeled to provide additional context around mail-in ballots,” a Twitter spokesman said.

The twin decisions are likely to stir partisans on both sides of the political debate, with one arguing Silicon Valley should play a more active role in policing Trump’s social-media activity, while the other considers such moves akin to censorship.