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Meta plans to close essential fake news tracking software before significant US polls
In a surprising decision that could seriously impact the US polls later this year, Meta declared their intention to close down CrowdTangle. This widely used social media surveillance and transparency software aided investigators in monitoring online false information and hate speech.
Meta, Facebook's parent company, recently declared its plans to shut down CrowdTangle, a widely used social media scrutiny and transparency application. This decision, scheduled to be implemented on August 14, 2024, has stirred extensive discussions among journalists, researchers, and civil society groups, especially in light of the forthcoming US presidential election.
CrowdTangle has been instrumental in assisting journalists and researchers in monitoring the spread of false and misleading information across social media sites. With its looming closure, there are growing worries about how it might affect the attempts to make tech firms responsible for their part in propagating untruthful information.
Meta claims it will substitute CrowdTangle with a fresh Content Library API. Yet, this change will require researchers and nonprofits to request access to the firm's data.
The Mozilla Foundation and various other public interest groups have criticized the new service, stating that it is missing many crucial features of CrowdTangle. They have encouraged Meta to keep the original platform operational until January 2025.
Following the criticism, Meta's representative Andy Stone justified the choice, expressing that the Content Library will offer a more thorough set of data than CrowdTangle and it will be available to nonprofit organizations, scholars, and specialists in election transparency.
Brandon Silverman, who is a co-creator and ex-CEO of CrowdTangle and stayed on to develop the tool post its acquisition by Facebook in 2016, voiced his opinion that it is crucial for platforms to allow external examination of their data, according to a Wired report. He stressed the importance of lawmakers and public representatives setting up legal provisions concerning platform openness and data availability.
Silverman emphasized the Digital Services Act of the European Union, which enforces clear guidelines for data sharing. He pointed out an increasing pattern among different platforms like Alibaba and TikTok, that are providing programs that allow external researchers to access public content in real-time.
Silverman did recognize difficulties in putting these measures into effect, referring to Twitter's limits on data access and Meta's decrease in data-sharing efforts. He stressed the necessity of finding a middle ground between the availability of data and the safeguarding of privacy, advocating for wider public participation and discussion on the matter.
As Meta plans to phase out CrowdTangle, there are ongoing worries about the possible effects on transparency and responsibility in the online world, especially leading up to major political happenings such as the US presidential race. This move highlights larger discussions about the obligations of technology firms and the necessity for regulatory measures to protect democratic procedures in the digital era.
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