Meta has just announced that they will start allowing eligible candidates to access Instagram and Facebook data in an attempt to promote ‘public interest research’. The company had already rolled out the Meta Content Library and the corresponding API tools for beta testing, but now, users will be able to access real-time information on the user-generated content that is uploaded on the two platforms.
The social media giant went on to announce that the Meta content library will be accessed through ‘Clean Rooms’, in which, researchers will be able to access the data that they need, but will be prohibited from exporting it. As far as the research is concerned, the company has confirmed that all such activities will be done through a proprietary API that will be empowered with search capabilities.
Coming to the eligibility to access this API, Meta has revealed that interested researchers will have to fill out a detailed form, and that same will be sent for approval to the ICPSR. Once the due diligence is done and the researcher attains access to the API, he/she can access all and any data they want, for no real fee. Experts believe that these new tools, though. enticing, offer less value to the researchers as compared to older tools, that granted access to a lot more data on how the content floats on social media.
Another aspect about this whole affair is that by launching this Content Library, Meta will open itself up to a fresh round of criticism, given that the company has always been in hot water over data privacy concerns. The company is currently in the middle of a lawsuit, fighting allegations from 41 states that the platform is causing harm to the younger audience. If Meta can show that their API is tight and secure and very stringent in terms of access, some of the heat, may just blow over.
