Innovative Research Model Co-developed by SLS Professor Nate Persily Selected by Facebook to Study Effects of Social Media on Elections and Democracy

Facebook to make data available for first time to social science researchers via independent, transparent, peer-review process

On Tuesday, April 10, Facebook announced a new initiative that will establish an independent commission to solicit research about the effects of social media on elections and democracy. The initiative is based on an innovative collaboration model between academic researchers and industry that was co-developed by Stanford Law School Professor Nate Persily and Harvard Professor Gary King.

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“The data held by private companies holds vast potential to help society but, because of its interaction with highly politicized issues, customer privacy, proprietary content, and differing goals of firms and academics, these data are often inaccessible to university researchers,” said Persily and King.

To allow social scientists access to this important data, Persily and King have created a research model that will be independent of Facebook, financial incentives, and political goals. In this partnership, respected scholars will form a commission that will receive access to all relevant data and information from Facebook. The commission will oversee the peer review process for funding and data access. Research conducted by these scholars will be funded by nonprofit foundations. Facebook will not review or approve research findings prior to publication.

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In a press release, Facebook executives stated: “We’ll give those researchers access to our resources so they can draw unbiased conclusions about Facebook’s role in elections, including how we’re handling the risks on our platform and what steps we need to take before future elections. They’ll share their work publicly, and we won’t require our approval to publish. By working with the academic community, we can help people better understand the broader impact of social media on democracy, as well as improve our work to protect the integrity of elections. This initiative will enable Facebook to learn from the advice and analysis of outside experts so we can make better decisions — and faster progress.”

Read Facebook’s full announcement.

“The mission of the academic social sciences is to understand and ameliorate society’s greatest challenges,” said Persily and King. “These data held by Facebook and other private companies holds vast potential to further this mission.”

The initiative will be funded by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, Democracy Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Charles Koch Foundation, the Omidyar Network, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation