Twitter mis-labels Norwegian PM as Nigerian official

Twitter was asked to check the accounts of Norway’s Foreign Ministry, its head, Anniken Huitfeldt, and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, after the platform identified them as Nigerian government officials and organizations on Sunday.

Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted on Tuesday that “as much as we enjoy our excellent bilateral relations and close alphabetical vicinity with Nigeria, we would much appreciate if you could label us as Norway.”

The ministry added that the same goes for Store and Huitfeldt, and attached a picture illustrating the issue. 

Users were quick to respond to the incorrect labeling, with some joking that it’s always hard to tell Nigeria and Norway apart, while others suggested that the only person at Twitter who knew the difference had been part of Elon Musk’s recent layoffs at the company.

It’s unclear how long the incorrect designation had been up, but four hours after the Ministry tweeted about it, the notice was changed to read “Norwegian government organization.” The accounts of Store and Huitfeldt have also been corrected.

Since August 2020, Twitter has marked accounts belonging to government officials and organizations by including a label next to the user’s name indicating the country the account is associated with. Twitter claims these labels provide additional context for “accounts heavily engaged in geopolitics and diplomacy.”