Academics slam Facebook for shutting out research into political ads
The company banned the researcher’s accounts
Why Facebook disabled the accounts
Facebook said the bans were due to concerns about a browser extension used by the researchers.
The group had collected data through a plugin calledAd Observer, which volunteers could download to generate copiesof Facebook ads they saw. This information was used to build a public database that researchers can use to investigate who ads are targeting and how they’re funded.
The extension generated powerful insights into ad targeting and misinformation on the social network, butFacebooksays the tool violated the company’s terms of service.
Ina blog post, Mike Clark, Facebook’s product management director, said the project used “unauthorized means” to access and collect data from Facebook:
But Facebook’s response left out an important detail: the users who had data collected without their consent are advertisers.
“Facebook should not be able to cynically invoke user privacy to shut down research that puts them in an unflattering light, particularly when the ‘users’ Facebook is talking about are advertisers who have consented to making their ads public,” tweeted Edelson.
The shutdown will deprive researchers of valuable information on ad targeting and misinformation on Facebook. It also heightens concerns about the platform controlling scrutiny of its practices.
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Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.
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