Facebook and Twitter are opening up a bit to academic researchers, so platforms “can make better decisions”

Facebook announced April 9 that it plans to give a limited group of soon-to-be determined academics some access to Facebook data as needed, with a research emphasis on how Facebook influences elections in different countries around the world.

The research, which Facebook says will be released publicly and will not be subject to approval by Facebook, is funded through the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Charles Koch Foundation, Democracy Fund, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Laura and John Arnold Foundation, and Omidyar Network. Facebook “will make no financial contribution to this initiative or its research.” Hewlett hinted at an emphasis on platform-focused research when it announced $10 million in funding over the next two years devoted to research on disinformation on social media.
“The focus will be entirely forward looking. And our goals are to understand Facebook’s impact on upcoming elections — like Brazil, India, Mexico and the US midterms — and to inform our future product and policy decisions,” wrote Facebook’s VP of communications and public policy Elliot Schrage and its director of research David Ginsberg. “For example, will our current product roadmap effectively fight the spread of misinformation and foreign interference? Specific topics may include misinformation; polarizing content; promoting freedom of expression and association; protecting domestic elections from foreign interference; and civic engagement.”