Twitter is finally testing an edit button

But not everyone wanted an edit button, and the possible feature is already provoking backlash — some users raised concern online that the edit button could be used to spread misinformation, or to edit a tweet that has already been shared widely, changing it into a different message.

Twitter will add a label to edited tweets that will allow users to click in and see the history of the tweet and its changes.

The feature has other limitations — tweets can only be edited for 30 minutes, and they will be labeled with an icon to let others know the tweet has been changed.

Twitter, which has more than 230 million daily users, did not say when the majority of people on the site would be able to use the feature.

“Like any new feature, we’re intentionally testing Edit Tweet with a smaller group to help us incorporate feedback while identifying and resolving potential issues,” the company wrote in a blog post. “This includes how people might misuse the feature. You can never be too careful.”

Twitter confirmed it had been working on an edit button earlier this year after billionaire Elon Musk tweeted a poll asking if people wanted the feature. More than 73 percent of respondents said yes.

Twitter said it has been working on the edit button since last year.

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Musk said in a TED interview earlier this year that he was in favor of possibly “zeroing out” all favorites and retweets upon an edit, adding that he is open to other ideas.

The move to offer a new feature to Twitter Blue subscribers comes as Twitter is looking to bolster its business amid a downturn in the digital advertising market, which forms the lion’s share of its revenue. Growth in Twitter’s ad revenue nearly stalled last quarter.

Twitter has been exploring paid subscription products to supplement its advertising revenue. On Tuesday it confirmed reports that it had been developing a feature that would allow adult content creators to charge for subscriptions on the platform, with Twitter taking a cut, before halting the project amid concerns over child exploitation.

Twitter has had a rocky year, both in the stock market and internally after Musk launched a $44 billion hostile takeover of the company. He later filed to terminate the deal. Twitter and Musk are now embroiled in a lawsuit over the deal, which is set for trial in October.

Last week, The Washington Post reported that the company’s former head of security, Peiter Zatko, filed a whistleblower complaint with regulators, alleging that the company had lax security practices. Twitter has pushed back on the allegations.

Will Oremus contributed to this report.