NBC News – Facebook’s decision is a roadblock for experts who want to examine possible factors behind President Donald Trump’s victory: “Last month, academic researchers got word of a tantalizing offer. Facebook said it would give them a way to study how web addresses are shared on its social network, for the first time opening a window into the spread of hoaxes, partisan news and disinformation. But there was a catch: Facebook wouldn’t let researchers look at anything before Jan. 1, 2017. The time restriction is meaningful because it has the effect of blocking access to Facebook data about the 2016 presidential campaign, one of the most divisive periods in modern American history, as well as from previous years. Facebook’s decision is a roadblock for experts who want to examine possible factors behind President Donald Trump’s victory, such as alleged Russian influence, his campaign’s digital strategy or the spread of false stories, like one about the pope endorsing him…One of Facebook’s recent steps toward transparency is a new effort to allow election-related academic studies based on Facebook data. Experts who previously had no such access have said they’re excited about the project, which is known as Social Science One and is led by professors at Harvard and Stanford…”