Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has revealed its plans to label government-affiliated accounts on its newly launched Twitter-like platform, Threads, according to an executive’s statement during an Australian inquiry on foreign interference.
Meta’s head of public policy for Australia, Josh Machin, expressed the company’s intentions to implement labels for state-affiliated media and fact-checking on Threads.
“Areas such as labels for state-affiliated media and fact-checking are all areas where we see a lot of value, and it’s our aspiration to build that out expeditiously,” he said.
He emphasized the value of these features and their swift development as an aspiration for Meta.
This disclosure comes shortly after the launch of Threads, which is widely regarded as a competitor to Twitter.
Recall that Twitter faced criticism for removing tags from government-affiliated accounts after going private under Elon Musk’s ownership, with concerns raised about the impact on users’ media literacy.
When asked about tagging Russian state-affiliated broadcaster RT or Chinese government-affiliated publisher, Xinhua News Agency on Threads, Machin stated that it was their aspiration to do so.
He further emphasized that any state-affiliated media violating their policies would be removed.
“To the effect that any state-affiliated media are violating our policies, we would remove them,” he told the inquiry. “Broader functionality around tags… are all top priorities for us as we continue to bring out the product.”
Meta said it aims to prioritize broader functionality related to tags as they continue to develop the platform.
Meta’s existing platforms, Facebook and Instagram, already feature tags on the RT and Xinhua accounts, indicating their status as state-controlled media from Russia and China respectively.
However, at the time of Reuters’ check on Tuesday, the Threads account for RT did not display such a label, while Xinhua did not appear to have a Threads account.
During the inquiry, Australian senator, James Paterson expressed concern about Twitter’s removal of foreign government affiliation tags, highlighting transparency issues.
Twitter declined to comment, but its executives are scheduled to appear at the inquiry later in the day.
Machin also raised Meta’s concerns regarding an Australian proposal to grant regulatory authority, specifically the Australian Communications and Media Authority, the power to police and fine social media companies for facilitating the spread of disinformation and misinformation.
While Meta supports ACMA enforcing an existing industry code of conduct that addresses false content, Machin expressed reservations about the draft legislation, fearing potential abuse of power and its impact on legitimate free expression online.
The Australian proposal is currently under industry consultation, and Meta continues to engage in discussions surrounding its concerns and potential implications.
