Draft:CrowdTangle
{{AFC submission|d|mergeto|Facebook|u=Brandonsilverman|ns=118|decliner=Setergh|declinets=20250421194722|ts=20250421182356}}
{{AFC submission|d|corp|u=Brandonsilverman|ns=118|decliner=Robert McClenon|declinets=20250301042802|small=yes|ts=20250224175955}}
{{AFC submission|d|adv|u=Brandonsilverman|ns=118|decliner=Loksmythe|declinets=20230307225848|small=yes|ts=20230307213426}}
{{AFC comment|1=Seems like something that could very easily be included within the article for Facebook as I don't think it has very much info or significance to be a standalone article. Setergh (talk) 19:47, 21 April 2025 (UTC)}}
{{AFC comment|1=Following feedback from Robert McClenon and editors at the Teahouse, I have worked on a draft below that I think reviewing editors will find less promotional.
The draft changes are as follows:
- Removed specific articles from Fast Company and The Verge as editors felt these ones relied too heavily on spokesperson comments. I have updated the sourcing for any associated content.
- Moved the "Service" section above the History section
- This was just to make things a bit more clear for readers.
- Removed "In its first several years, CrowdTangle raised $2.2 million from various venture capital groups."
- Changed the following "The tool was designed to make it easy for customers to monitor and analyze content that was spreading on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit." to "CrowdTangle was designed for monitoring and analyzing content shared on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit."
- Changed "Facebook acquired CrowdTangle in 2016, implemented it into the social media platform and made it free to news organizations" to "Facebook acquired CrowdTangle in 2016."
- Removed "That same year, CrowdTangle entered into a partnership with Local Media Consortium and launched a product specifically for local newsrooms. Video metrics for Instagram and Facebook were also introduced that year."
- Changed "CrowdTangle was working with several hundred news outlets at the time of the acquisition and expanded to more than 1,100 outlets post-acquisition." to "CrowdTangle had already begun to work with news outlets at the time of the acquisition."
- This was also moved up.
- Changed "In 2020, CrowdTangle expanded further and began working with academic and research organizations." to "In 2020, CrowdTangle began working with academic and research organizations."
- Removed "In the United States, the Platform Accountability and Transparency Act was legislation contributed by Silverman following his departure. It had a number of provisions requiring real-time access to public content. Silverman testified about his experience with CrowdTangle in the U.S. Senate in 2022."
I am submitting this draft because I do have a conflict of interest and will add this to the Talk page. Please leave me any questions you might have. Brandonsilverman (talk) 18:23, 21 April 2025 (UTC)}}
{{AFC comment|1=
This draft is written from the viewpoint of the company, focusing on what the company says about itself. Corporate notability is based on what independent reliable sources have written about the subject.
Not every business corporation is notable, and this draft does not establish corporate notability. You may ask for advice about corporate notability at the Teahouse. Robert McClenon (talk) 04:28, 1 March 2025 (UTC)}}
{{AFC comment|1=Hello all, I would like to resubmit a new draft on CrowdTangle, a social media analytics tool that was acquired by Meta. Editors will find that that this draft was created using reliable sources including The Verge, Reuters, Axios, Bloomberg, the Associated Press, Washington Post and The New York Times. Many of these provide profile level information and not just routine business coverage.
I feel editors will find this is much more adherent to the rules and guidelines, which I have taken the time to properly review. I am submitting this draft because I do have a conflict of interest and will add this to the Talk page. Please leave me any questions you might have. Brandonsilverman (talk) 17:59, 24 February 2025 (UTC)}}
{{AFC comment|1=Overly promotional. Draft creator {{u|Brandonsilverman}} also has major WP:COI as creator of CrowdTangle and needs to properly declare COI on the talk page. Loksmythe (talk) 22:58, 7 March 2023 (UTC)}}
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{{Infobox company
| name = CrowdTangle, Inc
| industry = Software
| founded = 2011
| founder = Matt Garmur {{br}} Brandon Silverman
| defunct = August 2024
| owner =Meta
}}
CrowdTangle, Inc was a social monitoring platform for news organizations and companies to track and analyze the spread of content on social media. It was purchased in 2016 by Facebook and shut down in 2024.
Service
CrowdTangle started as a tool that analyzed post performance data on Facebook and later evolved to a dashboard to track engagement, keywords, and other metrics on posts on any page across various platforms.{{cite news |last1=Kessler |first1=Sarah |title=The Secret Tool That Upworthy, BuzzFeed, and Everyone Else Is Using To Win Facebook |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3040951/the-secret-tool-that-upworthy-buzzfeed-and-everyone-else-is-using-to-win-facebook |access-date=11 December 2024 |work=Fast Company |date=23 Jan 2015}}
History
CrowdTangle was a Baltimore-based company that began in 2011.{{cite news |last1=Kessler |first1=Sarah |title=The Secret Tool That Upworthy, BuzzFeed, and Everyone Else Is Using To Win Facebook |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3040951/the-secret-tool-that-upworthy-buzzfeed-and-everyone-else-is-using-to-win-facebook |access-date=11 December 2024 |work=Fast Company |date=23 Jan 2015}} It was founded by Chief Executive Officer Brandon Silverman and Chief Technology Officer Matt Garmur.{{cite news |last1=Kessler |first1=Sarah |title=The Secret Tool That Upworthy, BuzzFeed, and Everyone Else Is Using To Win Facebook |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3040951/the-secret-tool-that-upworthy-buzzfeed-and-everyone-else-is-using-to-win-facebook |access-date=11 December 2024 |work=Fast Company |date=23 Jan 2015}} CrowdTangle was designed for monitoring and analyzing content shared on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit.{{cite news |last1=Kessler |first1=Sarah |title=The Secret Tool That Upworthy, BuzzFeed, and Everyone Else Is Using To Win Facebook |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3040951/the-secret-tool-that-upworthy-buzzfeed-and-everyone-else-is-using-to-win-facebook |access-date=11 December 2024 |work=Fast Company |date=23 Jan 2015}}{{cite news |title=Meta pauses new users from joining analytics tool CrowdTangle |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/meta-pauses-new-users-joining-analytics-tool-crowdtangle-2022-01-29/ |access-date=27 January 2025 |work=Reuters |date=28 January 2022}}
Facebook acquired CrowdTangle in 2016.{{cite news |last1=Kessler |first1=Sarah |title=The Secret Tool That Upworthy, BuzzFeed, and Everyone Else Is Using To Win Facebook |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3040951/the-secret-tool-that-upworthy-buzzfeed-and-everyone-else-is-using-to-win-facebook |access-date=11 December 2024 |work=Fast Company |date=23 Jan 2015}}{{cite news |last1=Hare |first1=Kristen |title=Since Facebook made Crowdtangle free, more than 150 local newsrooms have adopted it |url=https://www.poynter.org/tech-tools/2017/since-facebook-made-crowdtangle-free-more-than-150-local-newsrooms-have-adopted-it/ |access-date=11 December 2024 |work=Poynter |date=8 March 2017}} CrowdTangle had already begun to work with news outlets at the time of the acquisition.{{cite news |last1=Fischer |first1=Sara |title=Facebook introduces CrowdTangle Local News product |url=https://www.axios.com/2017/12/15/facebook-introduces-crowdtangle-local-news-product-1513306116 |access-date=11 December 2024 |work=Axios |date=11 October 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/TME5g |archive-date=11 December 2024 |language=en}} In 2017, CrowdTangle announced a partnership with Reddit to integrate Reddit data into its platform.{{cite news |last1=Cohen |first1=David |title=Reddit Is Teaming Up With CrowdTangle |url=https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/reddit-crowdtangle/ |access-date=11 February 2025 |work=Ad Week |date=9 February 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/h8Irk |archive-date=11 February 2025}}
In 2020, CrowdTangle began working with academic and research organizations.{{cite news |last1=Hutchinson |first1=Andrew |title=Facebook Expands CrowdTangle Analytics Platform Access to Academics and Researchers |url=https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-expands-crowdtangle-analytics-platform-access-to-academics-and-res/547140/ |access-date=11 February 2025 |work=Social Media Today |date=30 January 2019}}
Discontinuation
The CrowdTangle team was disbanded in mid-2021. Silverman departed as CEO in October 2021.{{cite news |last1=Alba |first1=Davey |title=Meta Pulls Support for Tool Used to Keep Misinformation in Check |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-23/meta-pulls-support-for-tool-used-to-keep-misinformation-in-check |access-date=11 December 2024 |work=Bloomberg.com |date=23 June 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/qSyYh |archive-date=3 Jul 2022 |language=en}} CrowdTangle paused new user access in January 2022.{{cite news |title=Meta pauses new users from joining analytics tool CrowdTangle |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/meta-pauses-new-users-joining-analytics-tool-crowdtangle-2022-01-29/ |access-date=11 December 2024 |work=Reuters |archive-url=https://archive.ph/wPX4Y |archive-date=30 Jan 2022}} Meta announced in March 2024 that the tool would be shut down{{cite news |last1=Fischer |first1=Sara |title=Lawmakers ask Meta CEO to delay shutting down CrowdTangle |url=https://www.axios.com/2024/07/24/lawmakers-ask-meta-ceo-to-delay-shutting-down-crowdtangle |access-date=11 December 2024 |work=Axios |date=24 July 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/tlRNn |archive-date=11 Dec 2024 |language=en}} and that it would be replaced by Meta Content Library and Content Library API.{{cite news |last1=Stokel-Walker |first1=Chris |title=CrowdTangle's former CEO has questions about Meta's decision to close the research tool in an election year |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/91067850/crowdtangles-former-ceo-has-questions-about-metas-decision-to-close-the-research-tool-in-an-election-year |access-date=11 December 2024 |work=Fast Company |date= 23 March 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/3kRse |archive-date=11 Dec 2024}}
Advocacy organizations sent a letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg asking to keep the site running until January 2025 to help monitor elections, citing concerns about the lack of features in the Content Library.{{cite news |last1=Curi |first1=Maria |title=Exclusive: Meta move to shut down election disinformation tool sparks alarm |url=https://www.axios.com/pro/tech-policy/2024/05/07/meta-move-to-shutdown-election-disinformation-tool-sparks-alarm |access-date=11 December 2024 |work=Axios |date=7 May 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/xx2XV |archive-date=7 May 2024 |language=en}} A group of bipartisan lawmakers voiced similar concerns over transparency and also addressed a letter on the topic.{{cite news |last1=Fischer |first1=Sara |title=Lawmakers ask Meta CEO to delay shutting down CrowdTangle |url=https://www.axios.com/2024/07/24/lawmakers-ask-meta-ceo-to-delay-shutting-down-crowdtangle |access-date=11 December 2024 |work=Axios |date=24 July 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/tlRNn |archive-date=11 Dec 2024 |language=en}}
Regulatory impact
The Digital Services Act, passed in the summer of 2022, included a provision which required large online platforms to give researchers access to the type of data CrowdTangle provided, something informally called the "CrowdTangle provision".{{Cite web |last=O'Donnell |first=Meghan |date=2024-02-05 |title=When Does the Digital Services Act (DSA) Come Into Effect? |url=https://trolley.com/learning-center/dsa-timeline/ |access-date=27 Jan 2025 |website=Trolley |language=en-US}}{{cite journal |last1=Vermeulen |first1=Mathias |title=Researcher Access to Platform Data: European Developments |journal=Journal of Online Trust and Safety |date=20 September 2022 |volume=1 |issue=4 |page=5 |doi=10.54501/jots.v1i4.84 |quote=Informally known as the ‘CrowdTangle provision,’ companies are expected to give vetted researchers access to this type of data “without undue delay.”}}
References
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