Meta shuts down vital transparency tool

The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) today expresses deep concern and disappointment over Meta’s decision to proceed with the closure of its transparency tool, CrowdTangle. The social media company shut down the tool despite repeated calls from researchers, civil society organizations, journalists, and members of Congress urging the company to reconsider.

CrowdTangle has been an invaluable tool for real-time monitoring of online harms, especially in the critical context of electoral processes. The announced Meta Content Library, intended as a replacement, falls short in both functionality and accessibility. With just three months remaining until the US Presidential election, this decision threatens to have far-reaching consequences for researchers and organizations who, like ISD, rely on CrowdTangle for real-time monitoring on Meta platforms. This transition will leave many researchers who rely on CrowdTangle without access, disrupting their vital work and creating substantial vulnerabilities during a crucial election year.

“The decision to shut down CrowdTangle immediately hampers the ability of researchers, journalists, and civil society advocates to conduct critical research into online harms. Doing so during such a contentious election, where real-time research in time-sensitive periods is crucial, is gravely concerning. What’s more troublesome is that this is just the latest in a long line of decisions by social media companies to deliberately limit data access to their platforms,” said Ellen Jacobs, ISD’s Digital Policy Manager.

“It is time for Congress to pass transparency and data access legislation because time and time again, social media platforms show their commitment is not to safety,” said Jacobs.

ISD and the Center for American Progress previously sent a letter to Meta executives urging the company to reconsider their decision. The letter can be read in full here. A letter to Meta from Republican and Democrat Members of Congress in which ISD is cited in can be read here.