Meta Axes CrowdTangle: Critics Cry Foul Over Its Replacement

Imagine you’re a journalist hunting down the truth in a sea of misinformation. Your trusted partner in this quest? A tool named CrowdTangle, which has just been unceremoniously discontinued by Meta. Let’s dive into what’s going on behind the scenes, and why critics are saying that its replacement is a pale imitation.

The Shutdown of CrowdTangle

Meta decided to pull the plug on CrowdTangle, the platform that allowed journalists, researchers, and politicians to track disinformation on Facebook and Instagram. The move has triggered quite the uproar.

What’s Replacing CrowdTangle?

Meta is introducing the Content Library as a replacement. But hold on a second — it’s only accessible to qualified academic or nonprofit groups that focus on scientific or public interest research.

Why Are People Upset?

• Transparency Issues: The Content Library is less transparent and accessible.
• Feature Set: It offers fewer features compared to CrowdTangle.
• User Experience: The design leaves much to be desired, making it harder to use.

The Protests and Criticism

Researchers and academics are leading the charge against this decision. Many journalists, once able to use CrowdTangle, find themselves barred from accessing the Content Library. Open letters of protest have been flying in Meta’s direction.

Meta’s Justification

Nick Clegg, who is Meta’s president of global affairs, labels CrowdTangle as a “degrading tool.” He argues it doesn’t offer a full picture of what’s happening on Facebook. According to him, CrowdTangle only captures a narrow slice of engagement and fails to show what people are actually seeing online.

A Bit of a Turnaround

Interestingly, back in 2020, Meta promoted CrowdTangle as a fantastic tool for Secretaries of State and election boards, claiming it could help identify misinformation and voter interference. Fast forward a bit, and that same tool is now considered inadequate by Meta.

The Replacement Isn’t Winning Hearts

Despite Meta’s assurances, many researchers claim that the Content Library doesn’t offer nearly the same level of insight as CrowdTangle did. In fact, some say it’s only 10% as usable.

Impact on Research

The removal of CrowdTangle is more than a minor inconvenience — it’s going to seriously hamper the efforts of civil society groups trying to monitor and combat disinformation, especially during election years. Researchers previously used CrowdTangle to track online activities and even to raise alarms about potential violence, such as before the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill.

Real-World Examples

• Disinformation Tracking: Media Matters used CrowdTangle to show that right-leaning Facebook pages were getting more engagement than non-aligned or left-leaning pages.
• Algorithm Insights: Researchers depended on CrowdTangle to understand engagement data and how algorithms were functioning.

Conclusion

Meta’s decision to shut down CrowdTangle and replace it with the Content Library has stirred a hornet’s nest of controversy. With less transparency, fewer features, and a more cumbersome user experience, it seems the replacement falls short by a long mile. As we move further into an era dominated by misinformation, the need for effective tracking tools is more crucial than ever.

Will Meta backtrack or improve its new offering? Only time will tell. In the meantime, journalists and researchers will have to find new ways to keep the truth in circulation.