Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has shut down CrowdTangle, a widely used tool for monitoring social media posts and tracking misinformation on its platforms. The shutdown, announced earlier this year, took effect on Wednesday and has been met with significant protest from researchers, watchdog organizations, and journalists.
In May, numerous organizations, including the Center for Democracy and Technology, the Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council, Human Rights Watch, and NYU’s Center for Social Media & Politics, petitioned Meta to keep CrowdTangle operational until at least January to aid in monitoring during the U.S. presidential elections. Their letter expressed concern that discontinuing the tool would jeopardize essential oversight mechanisms and undermine Meta’s transparency efforts during a critical period for social trust and digital democracy.
CrowdTangle was a key resource for researchers in analyzing information on Meta’s platforms and identifying harmful content and threats. In March, the Mozilla Foundation and other signatories also requested that Meta extend the tool’s availability until January, highlighting its role in understanding the spread of disinformation, hate speech, and voter suppression.
Meta has introduced an alternative, the Meta Content Library, but its access is limited to academic researchers and nonprofits, excluding most news organizations. Critics argue that the Meta Content Library is not yet as effective as CrowdTangle.
Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, mentioned in a recent blog post that the company is working to improve the Meta Content Library based on feedback from researchers to enhance its usability and data accessibility.
Meta, which acquired CrowdTangle in 2016, stated that CrowdTangle did not provide a complete picture of activity on its platforms and claimed its new tools offer a more comprehensive solution.
