Twitter Releases Partial Source Code for Transparency, Excludes Sensitive Components

In a bid for greater transparency and collaboration, Twitter, under the leadership of CEO Elon Musk, has released a portion of its source code, making the inner workings of its tweet recommendation algorithm publicly accessible.

The release marks the beginning of an initiative that encourages community involvement in identifying and addressing potential issues within the platform.

While the shared code contains a significant portion of Twitter’s core functionality, it excludes ad recommendations and user data that trains the recommendation algorithm.

https://twitter.com/wongmjane/status/1641884551189512192/history

The decision to focus on developer-oriented aspects of the code reflects a commitment to refining and improving Twitter’s user experience through community input. As part of this effort, Twitter is working on tools that will allow the community to submit suggestions and ensure seamless synchronization between external and internal repositories.

This move towards transparency follows several controversies surrounding adjustments to Twitter’s recommendation algorithm. By opening its source code, the company aims to foster an environment of trust and cooperation while paving the way for future enhancements to the platform, driven by collective wisdom and experience.