{"id":438547,"date":"2022-04-28T02:13:43","date_gmt":"2022-04-27T23:13:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/open-sourcing-twitters-algorithms-is-more-complex-than-musk-implies\/"},"modified":"2022-04-28T02:13:43","modified_gmt":"2022-04-27T23:13:43","slug":"open-sourcing-twitters-algorithms-is-more-complex-than-musk-implies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/open-sourcing-twitters-algorithms-is-more-complex-than-musk-implies\/","title":{"rendered":"#Open-sourcing Twitter&#8217;s algorithms is more complex than Musk implies"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2950de15529\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2950de15529\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/open-sourcing-twitters-algorithms-is-more-complex-than-musk-implies\/#%E2%80%9COpen-sourcing_Twitters_algorithms_is_more_complex_than_Musk_implies%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Open-sourcing Twitter&#8217;s algorithms is more complex than Musk implies&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9COpen-sourcing_Twitters_algorithms_is_more_complex_than_Musk_implies%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Open-sourcing Twitter&#8217;s algorithms is more complex than Musk implies&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image?fit=796%2C417&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2022%2F04%2FUntitled-design-9.jpg&amp;signature=6053c89a959c6a0c848c29382be99093\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n                            Of all the grand ideas that Elon Musk has for <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a>, the one that he\u2019s pitched most fervently is making the platform\u2019s algorithms open source.<\/p>\n<p>The Tesla tycoon <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1507041396242407424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">proposed the plan<\/a> before his buyout bid was disclosed, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/elon_musk_elon_musk_talks_twitter_tesla_and_how_his_brain_works_live_at_ted2022\">reiterated it<\/a> the day his offer was revealed, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/elon-musk-to-acquire-twitter-301532245.html\">pitched it once again<\/a> after the deal was confirmed.<\/p>\n<p>                <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.net\/embed\/iframe\/lglww1gnmy?videoFoam=true&amp;autoPlay=true\" title=\"\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wistia_embed\" name=\"wistia_embed\" allowfullscreen=\"\" msallowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Musk outlined his proposal at a<\/span>\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/elon_musk_elon_musk_talks_twitter_tesla_and_how_his_brain_works_live_at_ted2022\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TED conference on April 14<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>It\u2019s just really important that people have both the reality and the perception that they\u2019re able to speak freely within the bounds of the law. So one of the things that I believe Twitter should do is open-source the algorithm.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Musk argued that disclosing what amplifies or downranks tweets would reduce the risk of \u201cbehind the scenes manipulation.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">How would Elon Musk change Twitter if he were to buy it? First, he\u2019d make it open source. Watch <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ElonMusk<\/a>\u2019s wide ranging live <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TED2022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#TED2022<\/a> interview with <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TEDchris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@TEDChris<\/a> on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/YouTube?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@YouTube<\/a> here: <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dFFUxNqLZe\">https:\/\/t.co\/dFFUxNqLZe<\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Okm3y5HpEy\">pic.twitter.com\/Okm3y5HpEy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 TED Talks (@TEDTalks) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TEDTalks\/status\/1514739086908555272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 14, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach has won support from some transparency advocates and critics of Twitter\u2019s content moderation. They argue that the move will reveal how Twitter determines what you see on your timeline \u2014 and what you don\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt has the potential to turn Twitter into a truly trusted platform, where users would understand why certain tweets show up on top of the list, and all concerns about behind-the-scenes secrecy or bias would be removed,\u201d said Marc Linster, CTO at open source database firm EDB.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese concerns have been rampant with Google and Facebook. This open-sourcing move could be <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>-changing for social media overall.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Skeptics, however, have questioned the plan\u2019s feasibility. They note that Twitter is comprised of various feeds, from the Trending section to your Home timeline, each of which is controlled by a complex mix of recommendation systems and human decisions.<\/p>\n<p>These processes produce results that even their developers don\u2019t fully comprehend. Some of them <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/disclosetv\/status\/1518708233057226753\">reportedly mocked Musk<\/a> by adding a (now-removed) public repository on the company\u2019 GitHub platform \u2014 with zero code.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">JUST IN \u2013 Twitter employees apparently added a public repository called &#8220;the-algorithm&#8221; on the platform&#8217;s Github account shortly before the source code was locked.<\/p>\n<p>Musk said he wanted to make the Twitter algorithm open source. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cKNmwh6iuT\">pic.twitter.com\/cKNmwh6iuT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/disclosetv\/status\/1518708233057226753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 25, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Another issue is that algorithms alone offer limited insights.<\/p>\n<p>There are various other factors behind a tweet\u2019s ranking. They include content that enters the platform, each user\u2019s profile, the algorithms\u2019 training data, moderation rules, and the code that trained the models.<\/p>\n<p>These constitute an enormous pool of data, which would be tough to trawl through and costly to disseminate.<\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cYou can\u2019t simply open-source an ML [machine learning] model like it\u2019s some <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.geeksforgeeks.org\/bubble-sort\/\">bubble sort implementation<\/a>,\u201d said Steve Teixeira, a Twitter vice president of product.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Of course, we&#8217;re putting aside for now that many of the people saying this already understand you can&#8217;t simply open source an ML model like it&#8217;s some bubble sort implementation<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Steve Teixeira \ud83e\udd87\uea00 (@stevetex) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stevetex\/status\/1515486164496515075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 17, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Further complexities arise from the mutability of the system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTypically, recommender models get re-trained pretty often and will keep changing over time,\u201d Bindu Reddy, CEO and co-founder of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/abacus.ai\/\">Abacus.AI<\/a>, an artificial intelligence startup, told TNW.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile it is possible to release all trained models as well on an ongoing basis, it won\u2019t be very useful either unless you understand exactly what inputs and outputs go into the model for predictions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There are also the potential dangers of the open-source proposal.<\/p>\n<p>The information could be copied by competitors, provide a tempting target for cybercriminals, and violate user privacy. It could also hinder another of Musk\u2019s ambitions: \u201cdefeat the spambots.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, open-source offers new opportunities to find vulnerabilities and flaws.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">If you make something open source, won\u2019t that make it easier to find vulnerabilities? <\/p>\n<p>Yes, but it will also make it easier to debug, audit, fork, trust, test, and build on.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 cdixon.eth (@cdixon) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cdixon\/status\/1518803344021540864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 26, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Reddy is optimistic about the potential benefits. She argues that open-sourcing the ranking algorithm will be useful for research and evaluating any biases.<\/p>\n<p>She also expects to find further insights from the infrastructure components that influence what\u2019s flagged and filtered in feeds.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"il\">\u201cOpen<\/span><span>\u00a0sourcing those algorithms \u2014 and more importantly, those models \u2014 will go a long way in terms of transparency,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Another prominent proponent of the approach is Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey.<\/p>\n<p>The company\u2019s ex-CEO has suggested letting users choose which \u2014 if any \u2014 algorithm they use.<\/p>\n<div>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The choice of which algorithm to use (or not) should be open to everyone <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/o2DkSTWW0O\">https:\/\/t.co\/o2DkSTWW0O<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 jack\u26a1\ufe0f (@jack) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jack\/status\/1507146276416098307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 25, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Dorsey envisions creating an open marketplace of algorithms.<\/p>\n<p>Users would pick the one that best serves their desires, from prioritizing nuanced conversations to surfacing a constant stream of thirst traps.<\/p>\n<p>It sounds potentially idyllic \u2014 particularly if it can stop my feed from constantly showing obnoxious tweets by Elon Musk.\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/what-are-elon-musk-plans-to-open-source-twitter-algorithms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Open-sourcing Twitter&#8217;s algorithms is more complex than Musk implies&#8221; Of all the grand ideas that Elon Musk has for Twitter, the one that he\u2019s pitched most fervently is making the platform\u2019s algorithms open source. The Tesla tycoon proposed the plan before his buyout bid was disclosed, reiterated it the day his offer was revealed, and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":438548,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/neural?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/04\/Untitled-design-9.jpg&signature=a6de4b4a5ecf6d59b84077d8f812eef5","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-438547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=438547"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438547\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/438548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}