Meta, the owner of Facebook, has decided to shut down CrowdTangle, a key tool for tracking viral misinformation, a move experts criticize as “a grave step backward.” The shutdown, scheduled for August 14, is expected to disrupt efforts to detect political misinformation in a crucial election year.
CrowdTangle is a game-changing tool
CrowdTangle, described in an AFP report as a game-changing tool, has provided researchers and journalists with real-time transparency into the spread of conspiracy theories and hate speech on Meta-owned platforms like Facebook and Instagram for years. According to reports, the monitoring tool will be replaced by another tool that researchers believe lacks the same functionality, and news organizations will largely not have access to it. CrowdTangle will be replaced by a new technology called Content Library, which is still in development.
According to tech industry experts, including former CrowdTangle CEO Brandon Silverman, the current replacement tool is not considered effective, particularly in a year when elections worldwide are expected to see a surge in AI-driven misinformation. While Meta asserts that the Content Library will offer more comprehensive data than CrowdTangle and will be accessible to academics and non-profit election integrity experts, concerns persist regarding access for independent researchers and journalists. Meta has stated that the new tool will not be available to for-profit media, raising questions about transparency and accountability.
This decision comes just three months before the 2024 US Presidential election, where incumbent Joe Biden will face Republican rival Donald Trump. Additionally, dozens of countries worldwide are set to hold elections this year. Melanie Smith, director of research at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, cautioned that “In a year when almost half of the global population is expected to vote in elections, cutting off access to CrowdTangle will severely limit independent oversight of harms.”
The platform has historically served as an early warning system for researchers
“It represents a grave step backwards for social media platform transparency,” she remarked. CrowdTangle has historically served as an early warning system for researchers, flagging activities such as foreign interference, online harassment, and incitement to violence. It played a critical role in swiftly identifying “misinformation, voter interference, and suppression” during the 2020 US elections.
The Mozilla Foundation, a global non-profit, along with numerous technology watchdogs and researchers, has urged Meta to retain CrowdTangle until at least January 2025 due to concerns about the new tool’s limitations. “Abandoning CrowdTangle while the Content Library lacks so much of CrowdTangle’s core functionality undermines the fundamental principle of transparency,” stated the letter. However, in defense of the decision, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone stated that the Content Library will provide “more comprehensive data than CrowdTangle” and will be accessible to academics and non-profit election integrity experts.
