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submitted 3 weeks ago by girlfreddy@lemmy.ca to c/news@lemmy.world

Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms has shut down CrowdTangle, a tool widely used by researchers, watchdog organizations and journalists to monitor social media posts, notably to track how misinformation spreads on the company’s platforms.

Wednesday’s shutdown, which Meta announced earlier this year, has been protested by researchers and nonprofits. In May, dozens of groups, including the Center for Democracy and Technology, the Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council, Human Rights Watch and NYU’s Center for Social Media & Politics, sent a letter to the company asking that it keep the tool running through at least January so it would be available through the U.S. presidential elections.

“This decision jeopardizes essential pre- and post-election oversight mechanisms and undermines Meta’s transparency efforts during this critical period, and at a time when social trust and digital democracy are alarmingly fragile,” the letter said.

CrowdTangle, “has been an essential tool in helping researchers parse through the vast amount of information on the platform and identify harmful content and threats,” it added.

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[-] Apytele@sh.itjust.works 40 points 3 weeks ago

Just in time for the election too!

[-] solsangraal@lemmy.zip 26 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

the people who have a vested interest in misinforming you have more money than anyone who's interested in forming their opinions based on facts and reality

but people are addicted to their fake likes on their fake enviable lives from their fake friends, so facebook will carry on doing whatever the fuck makes them the most money, regardless of the well-being of the common public good

[-] DudeImMacGyver@sh.itjust.works 18 points 3 weeks ago

Meta, metastasize: The similarity is not a coincidence.

[-] Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 3 weeks ago

Big companies keep ending things we want, and implementing things we don't want.

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

[-] localme@lemm.ee 3 points 3 weeks ago

Probably we need regulations and laws that require these massive online platforms to provide tools like this. Since they decided not to do it “voluntarily” anymore.

[-] some_guy 6 points 3 weeks ago

Fuck Mark Zuckerburg.

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago
[-] reagansrottencorpse@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago

They didn't even make it, they bought crowd tangle. And now they are killing it.

this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2024
229 points (98.7% liked)

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