Twitter has made good on its promise to release some of its source code to the public, including the algorithm used to recommend tweets in users’ timelines. The move is part of an effort to increase transparency and prevent risk, according to the social media company.
While the open-source releases don’t include the code that powers Twitter’s ad recommendations or the data used to train its recommendation algorithm, they do include code for many other parts of the platform. However, the company has been careful to exclude any code that could compromise user safety or privacy, including efforts to combat child exploitation and manipulation.
Twitter’s decision to release the code has been welcomed by many in the tech industry, who see it as a step towards greater transparency and accountability in the use of AI and machine learning technologies. Elon Musk, who had promised the release of the code, said that the initial release would likely be “quite embarrassing” and that people would find a lot of mistakes, but that Twitter would work to fix them quickly.
He also drew an analogy between the release of Twitter’s source code and the open-source operating system Linux, which has a large community of developers who identify and fix security vulnerabilities.
However, some have raised concerns about the potential risks associated with the release of the code. There are fears that malicious actors could use the code to create bots that could manipulate the platform or promote harmful content. Twitter has taken steps to address these concerns by excluding sensitive information from the code and limiting access to it.
Overall, Twitter’s decision to release its source code is a significant step towards greater transparency and accountability in the tech industry. While there are risks associated with the release of the code, the benefits of increased transparency and accountability are likely to outweigh them. It remains to be seen how the release of the code will impact Twitter’s recommendation system, and how other companies in the tech industry will respond to the move.