A few months before the US presidential election, Meta closed CrowdTangle, an analysis program that had been used for years not only to research what content was particularly popular on Facebook. The tool was also extremely helpful for the media in getting an overview of what was happening in several social networks. The tool will be closed on August 14th and the so-called Meta Content Library will take its place. However, it will only be open to researchers; there is no provision for media access. This could save Meta from negative reporting, says the Wall Street Journal. At the same time, there is criticism of the timing of the closure.
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The press is left out
Facebook acquired CrowdTangle in 2016 and established it as a research interface. This made it possible to find out which content gets a lot of attention on Facebook, Instagram and Reddit. Companies active on these platforms were able to track how successful it was. Researchers were able to use the tool to get an overview of general developments on the platforms. At the same time, journalists and fact-checkers have used the tool, not always to Meta's satisfaction. The Wall Street Journal recalls the project of a US journalist who, thanks to CrowdTangle, made it visible that conservative and right-wing accounts were overrepresented among the most successful Facebook posts.
While Meta is working on a replacement for research purposes with the Meta Content Library, media will be left out in the future. According to the US newspaper, the group refers to commercially available alternatives. But they shouldn't have the same scope. At the same time, the closure of CrowdTangle comes just a few months before the US presidential elections, which are expected to be particularly hotly contested. The service eliminates an important tool for tracking activity in social networks. Meta therefore points out that TikTok and YouTube do not already offer a comparable service. Meanwhile, there is already criticism that the Meta Content Library offers less information.
(my)