Twitter Asks Users To Read Articles Before Sharing Them

Today's social media culture has made it easy for news and information, whether true or false, to spread online. Twitter is working on a new feature that is designed to “empower healthy and informed public conversations."

A tweet from the official Twitter Support account announced that the social media is testing a new feature that will ask users if they have actually read the article they are about to share on the platform, The Verge reported. The company is currently testing the feature on Android devices only, not on iOS or desktop browsers.

“Sharing an article can spark conversation, so you may want to read it before you Tweet it,” Twitter said. “To help promote informed discussion, we're testing a new prompt on Android –– when you Retweet an article that you haven't opened on Twitter, we may ask if you'd like to open it first.”

Here's what people should know about the new feature:

Twitter isn't snooping on user's browsing activities

Twitter said it will alert users to read the article that they are about to share if, and only if, the user is about to retweet a post with a link to an article without opening it first. This means users shouldn't worry about the social media company snooping on their browser history or web activity. Twitter will only watch out for those who didn't open the linked article but tapped on the retweet button.

Twitter deliberately chose to test the feature on Android alone

Some web and iOS app users might wonder as to why the new feature cannot be seen on their platforms. This is because Twitter deliberately chose to test the new feature on Android only. By doing this, the company will be able to “build and test as fast and effectively as possible,” it said.

The test currently involves news outlets only

Some might wonder as to why they didn't receive alerts when they retweeted a post with a link to a blog. Twitter said the prompts currently apply to links to news outlet domains only.

Some believe that the new feature will be very helpful in encouraging people to actually read what they share online. It's unclear as to when Twitter will release it across all platforms, however.