Meta’s choice to shut down CrowdTangle, an analytics instrument that was an “invaluable” useful resource to the analysis neighborhood, is drawing contemporary scrutiny from European Union regulators. The EU Fee, which had already raised considerations concerning the social community’s plan to discontinue the instrument forward of worldwide elections in 2024, is now pressing Meta for extra particulars about its work with researchers.
The EU Fee beforehand cited the upcoming shutdown of CrowdTangle as a part of a broader investigation into the corporate’s dealing with of disinformation campaigns and election-related insurance policies. Now, simply days after CrowdTangle was shut off despite pleas from researchers and civil society organizations to maintain it on-line by the top of the 12 months, regulators are pointedly reminding Meta of its “obligation” underneath the Digital Companies Act (DSA) to permit exterior researchers entry to its information.
“The Fee is requesting Meta to supply extra info on the measures it has taken to adjust to its obligations to provide researchers entry to information that’s publicly accessible on the web interface of Fb and Instagram, as required by the DSA, and on its plans to replace its election and civic discourse monitoring functionalities,” the EU Fee wrote in an announcement. “Particularly, the Fee is requesting details about Meta’s content material library and utility programming interface (API), together with their eligibility standards, the applying course of, the info that may be accessed and functionalities.”
Meta has beforehand pointed to the Meta Content material Library as a alternative for CrowdTangle. However entry to the Meta Content material Library is rather more tightly managed, and researchers have mentioned it doesn’t replicate all of CrowdTangle’s performance.
“We introduced earlier this 12 months that we might discontinue CrowdTangle as a result of it didn’t present a whole image of what’s taking place on our platforms,” a Meta spokesperson mentioned in an announcement to Engadget. “We’ve constructed new, extra complete instruments for researchers, known as the Meta Content material Library & API, and we stay in dialogue with the European Fee on this matter.”
Replace August 16, 2024, 3:15PM ET: This story has been up to date so as to add an announcement from Meta.
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