Meta's discontinuation of information management tool causes a wave of protests from US and EU lawmakers

The European Union (EU) on August 16 officially asked Meta to clarify specific measures on information management after the parent company of Facebook and Instagram "killed" a tool to track how misinformation spreads on social networking platforms.

Meta has officially killed CrowdTangle, a tool widely used by researchers, watchdogs and journalists to track social media posts, particularly to track how misinformation spreads across platforms. (Source: AFP)

On August 14, Meta officially shut down CrowdTangle, a tool widely used by researchers, watchdog organizations, and journalists to track social media posts, especially to track how misinformation spreads across platforms.

Meta's decision to "kill" CrowdTangle is causing a wave of strong protests from US and European lawmakers in the context of many countries around the world about to enter important elections, including the US.

The tool has long been trusted by researchers and journalists to track the spread of conspiracy theories, hate speech, and other harmful content in real time on Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

In a July 24 letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers expressed particular concern that Meta would stop providing this important tool in monitoring and preventing misinformation, especially during a crucial election year.

In an open letter earlier this year, the global nonprofit Mozilla Foundation warned that removing CrowdTangle would pose a direct threat to ensuring accurate election information, and called on Meta to maintain the tool until at least January 2025.

To replace CrowdTangle, Meta plans to roll out a new tool called Content Library.

However, many technology experts, including the former CEO of CrowdTangle, have warned that the new tool is not an effective replacement, especially in elections where there is a high likelihood of AI-generated misinformation. Additionally, many news organizations are not expected to have access to the tool.

As a result, the European Commission (EC) has asked Meta to provide detailed plans by September 6 on how the company plans to provide researchers with access to publicly accessible data on its platform and how it plans to update its election monitoring tools.

The EC made the request under the EU Digital Services Act, which aims to keep users safe online and prevent the spread of harmful content.

Previously, at the end of April, the EU launched a formal investigation into Meta's Facebook and Instagram platforms, due to concerns that these platforms failed to prevent and respond to the spread of misinformation.

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