Meta shutters tool used to fight disinformation, despite outcry

Meta has been bombarded by academics, researchers, politicians and regulators about a tool called CrowdTangle, which most people probably haven’t heard of. It’s been used to investigate the spread of violence, political disinformation and false narratives on Facebook and Instagram. On August 14, less than three months before the U.S. election, Meta is shutting CrowdTangle down. More than 50,000 people have signed letters and petitions urging Meta to halt its plans, or at least wait six months, according to the Mozilla Foundation. Regulators, including the European Commission and a bipartisan group of U.S. senators and Congress members, say shuttering CrowdTangle now could be risky—given how useful it’s been to help researchers identify security threats and misinformation, especially around elections.