Key Points
Meta Platforms plans to shut down a data tool long used by academic researchers, journalists and others to monitor the spread of content on its Facebook and Instagram services, the company said on Thursday..
The social-media giant said it will decommission CrowdTangle in five months and is replacing it with a tool called the Meta Content Library, which will be available only to academic and nonprofit researchers, not to most news outlets..
CrowdTangle has been widely used by journalists, researchers and regulators seeking to understand social-media platforms and studying the viral spread of content including false information and conspiracy theories..
Meta has already started taking applications for access to the new tool, which it said it is continuing to develop. The company said it will be an upgrade over CrowdTangle, with features the old tool lacked, such as the ability to search content based on how widely it was viewed and to see data on public comments on posts..
. Rebekah Tromble, director of the Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics at George Washington University, said that the Meta Content Library currently limits how much data search results can return, and that its privacy restrictions prevent users from downloading data on even public posts from elected officials..
You might be interested in
Meta Kills a Crucial Transparency Tool At the Worst Possible Time
25, Mar, 24CrowdTangle helps researchers track disinformation, but Meta will close it down before the US election. The tool's cofounder, Brandon Silverman, says it's time to force companies to share data.
Explicit images: Meta launches ‘Take It Down’ tool
11, Apr, 23The company will make the tool available in Hindi this year and soon in other Indian languages for users across its social media platforms.
Meta to restrict more content for teens as regulatory pressure mounts
09, Jan, 24International Business News: Meta Platforms said on Tuesday it would hide more content from teens on Instagram and Facebook, after regulators around the globe pressed the social m.
Facebook is wrong to say news lacks economic value, says Canada PM Justin Trudeau
10, May, 23Canadian PM Justin Trudeau said Meta’s opposition to paying for journalistic content was based on a flawed argument.
Meta may end Facebook, Instagram news content in Canada
09, May, 23Meta Platforms has threatened to end news content on Facebook and Instagram in Canada if lawmakers pass the proposed Online News Act, which would require social networking companies to pay media publishers to feature their work. Meta's President of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, called the act fundamentally flawed and opposed to global norms, as it would establish a price on free links. The legislation would require digital platforms to establish a fair revenue sharing system and provide collective bargaining by media companies, allowing them to negotiate fees with Meta and other platforms.