Facebook is working with third-party researchers to study how content and user behaviour affect the upcoming 2020 US Presidential Elections, the company announced on August 31. It will look at the impact of how people interact with content on Facebook and Instagram, including the role of their content ranking systems. Who are researchers are, and how they were chosen: A group of 17 university researchers — experts in elections, democracy, and social media — will look at how Facebook and Instagram influence issues such as political polarisation and whether and how people vote. The researchers were chosen by Talia Stroud and Joshua A. Tucker, co-chairs of Social Science One, who are also leading project along with two researchers at Facebook. "Facebook did not select the researchers and is taking measures to ensure that they operate independently," the company said. Social Science One is a non-profit entity formed in July 2018, co-founded by two professors at Harvard University and Stanford University. It partners with Facebook to build a data-sharing system with academics to enable research into the impact of Facebook. Explicit, informed consent of users will be taken from users who are part of the study, said Chaya Nayak, who leads Facebook's open research and transparency team, said. Between 200,000-400,000 American adults will participate in the study. Costs: While Facebook is covering the costs to participants, the researchers will not be paid by the company to maintain its objectivity, as per the company. Facebook will not have a say over publishing…
