The Stanford Internet Observatory, a small but prominent research group studying abuse on social media platforms, looks to be in crisis, according to a report by Platformer. Some key staff have departed recently, including founding director Alex Stamos and research director Renée DiResta, Platformer reports. A handful of staff have left recently after not having their contracts renewed, and other members have been told to look for other jobs.
Researchers working on Election Integrity Partnership have been sued by right-wing groups who accuse them of “mass-surveillance and mass-censorship.” The censorship claim stems from how the federal government communicates with social media platforms around topics like covid-19 disinformation and threats to elections. Government agencies sometimes communicate with platforms like Facebook, for example, to share public health information.