Meta’s decision to shut down a content surveillance tool called CrowdTangle, announced earlier in the year and about to take effect next month, has met with opposition from a group of US lawmakers.
CrowdTangle, which the giant bought in 2016, has over the years been “repurposed” by “fact-checkers,” researchers focusing on “disinformation” as well as media who flag it.
Meta said it is replaced by the Meta Content Library, available to some researchers but not commercial entities (such as media outlets, a number of whom are currently running “fact-checking” operations).
Now 17 lawmakers (three Republicans among them) have written to Meta asking that it reconsider this decision, referring to CrowdTangle as a “transparency tool” both for researchers and journalists.
The letter, addressed to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, says CrowdTangle is being used to “view and study” content on Facebook and Instagram, but also other platforms, searching for content ranging from foreign influence, and terrorism, to mental health.
We obtained a copy of the letter for you here.
And these members of Congress, led by senators Bill Cassidy (R) and Chris Coons (D) assert that the new tool, Meta Content Library, has “significant limitations” compared to CrowdTangle, urging at the same time the company not to discontinue the latter for at least another six months. I.e., until after the US elections.
But the lawmakers didn’t quite explain this timeframe in that way, mentioning first national security, then the children – in this case, protecting their mental health – then the perceived threat of AI, and elections in the US, but also around the world, as the reason to make sure CrowdTangle continues to be available, “while additional functionality and access is developed for the Meta Content Library.”
Some of those using CrowdTangle are the agency Agence France Presse (AFP) – also a major “fact-checker” and one of Facebook’s partners in this business – which found it useful in “debunking” content around topics like Covid.
AFP was searching for keywords and using Meme Search to find the targets of the debunking efforts and “report misinformation.”
Poynter Institute’s PolitiFact, another of Facebook’s third-party fact-checkers, was also among those who have “for years” been using CrowdTangle to focus its “fact-checking” on content slated for censorship that was likely to reach the widest audience.
