Meta shuts down misinformation tool—CrowdTangle despite pleas

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) has officially shut down CrowdTangle, a tool used by researchers, watchdog organizations, and journalists to monitor social media content, especially for tracking misinformation.

The decision was announced earlier this year and faced significant backlash from various groups who relied on CrowdTangle for oversight, particularly in light of the upcoming U.S. presidential elections.

Numerous groups wrote letters to Meta (META) to keep the tool running through at least January.

“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,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) wrote in a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO.

Meta (META) acquired CrowdTangle in 2016, and it became a critical resource for understanding the spread of disinformation, hate speech, and voter suppression on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

In place of CrowdTangle, Meta (META) introduced the Meta Content Library, which is intended for academic researchers and nonprofits. However, critics argue that the new alternative is not as effective or user-friendly as CrowdTangle, and access restrictions limit its utility for many news organizations.

Talking about Meta Content Library, Nick Clegg, Meta’s (META) president of global affairs, said they have been gathering feedback from “hundreds of researchers in order to make it more user-friendly and help them find the data they need for their work.”