Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has announced the discontinuation of CrowdTangle, a digital tool widely recognized for its crucial role in monitoring viral falsehoods, particularly during significant events like elections, according to a report by AFP.
This decision has raised concerns among researchers and journalists who rely on CrowdTangle's real-time transparency to track misinformation across Meta-owned platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
Meta Ends CrowdTangle
The move to decommission CrowdTangle comes at a critical time, just months before the US election, leaving researchers worried about the impact on their ability to detect and combat political misinformation.
The replacement tool, Content Library, lacks the same functionality as CrowdTangle and is still under development, raising doubts about its effectiveness in addressing the expected surge of false narratives during election periods.
Experts view Meta's decision as part of a broader trend within the tech industry to scale back transparency and security measures, posing significant challenges for independent oversight of social media platforms.
Melanie Smith, director of research at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, told AFP that the decision is a setback for social media platform transparency, particularly during a year with numerous elections worldwide.
Brandon Silverman, former CEO of CrowdTangle, expresses skepticism about the adequacy of the Content Library as a replacement, especially given the anticipated proliferation of AI-driven falsehoods during elections.
He emphasizes the need for Meta to prioritize openness and transparency in developing tools to safeguard the integrity of electoral processes.
CrowdTangle has played a vital role in past election cycles, alerting researchers to harmful activities such as foreign interference, online harassment, and incitement to violence.
Meta itself acknowledges the tool's contribution to identifying misinformation during elections, underscoring its significance in combating false narratives and promoting electoral integrity.
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Meta's Response
The decision to discontinue CrowdTangle has drawn criticism from various quarters, with the Mozilla Foundation and other tech watchdogs calling for its retention until at least January 2025.
They argue that abandoning CrowdTangle while the Content Library remains incomplete undermines the principle of transparency and poses a direct threat to the integrity of elections.
"Meta's decision will effectively prohibit the outside world, including election integrity experts, from seeing what's happening on Facebook and Instagram - during the biggest election year on record," the letter reads.
"This means almost all outside efforts to identify and prevent political disinformation, incitements to violence, and online harassment of women and minorities will be silenced. It's a direct threat to our ability to safeguard the integrity of elections."
In response to these concerns, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told AFP that the Content Library will offer more comprehensive data than CrowdTangle and will be accessible to academics and non-profit election integrity experts. However, Meta does not intend to make the tool available to for-profit media.
Journalists expressed disappointment over Meta's decision to restrict access to the new tool. Critics argue that this move could undermine accountability efforts by limiting journalists' ability to report on Meta's moderation policies and content-related issues.
