Twitter says they will give us an edit button, but on one condition

Twitter has long declined to deliver a button to edit tweets that have already been sent, saying they exist as an immutable record that can only be deleted, but not altered.

With the safety of the world on the line however, Twitter has agreed to deliver the option, but only on one condition.

https://twitter.com/Twitter/status/1278763679421431809

Twitter wants everyone to wear masks, says their official account. Masks have proven to be one of the most effective interventions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. However they only really work of everyone wears them, and twitter has taken that element into account.

https://twitter.com/TwitterComms/status/1278789654561452032

In case one thinks it is a joke, Nick Pacilio, Senior Communications Manager at Twitter, has confirmed it’s not.

https://twitter.com/NickPacilio/status/1278781748625772550

Of course, given the state of the world, Twitter probably set the bar a bit too high. Twitter has said they have considered adding an edit button in the past, and most advocates suggest allowing tweets to be edited for at least a 2-5 minutes after being sent before they become permanent, allowing typos to be corrected without deleting tweets. Today’s tease suggests twitter may be considering the move again. That seems rather more likely than the convincing everyone to wear masks.