How social media impact democracy, Facebook data will tell

Social media giant Facebook, on Monday, announced the first researchers who will gain access to privacy-protected data to study the platform's impact on democracy worldwide. Facebook's partner organisations Social Science Research Council (SSRC) and Social Science One, announced the first group of over sixty researchers from 30 academic institutions across 11 countries to use the data in a safe, secure, and privacy-protected manner.

The researchers ;were selected from around the world based on their qualifications, research questions and methods, and commitment to accountability, transparency, and excellence. The research will deepen public understanding of the role social media has on elections and democracy and help Facebook and other companies improve their products and practices, Facebook said in a blog post.

"The researchers announced today will gain access to some data immediately, and other datasets in stages when our testing indicates they both are useful for scholarly research and meet appropriate privacy and legal standards," the Social Science One said.

Commenting on the same, SSRC said, "Today's announcement marks a significant step toward creating the kinds of international social science research pathways necessary for sustained investigations into the effects of social media on all of our lives. The grant projects we announce today hint at the global potential of the Social Media and Democracy Research Grants competition."

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"We hope this initiative will deepen public understanding of the role social media has on elections and democracy and help Facebook and other companies improve their products and practices. Over the past two years, we have made significant improvements in how we monitor for and take action against abuse on our platform," Facebook's vice president for special projects Elliot Schrage and strategic initiatives manager Chaya Nayak wrote in a blog post.