Facebook opens its data firehose

Topic data, developed alongside analytics company DataSift, will be available in the US and UK to “a limited number of DataSift’s partners”, all of which will be Facebook-approved.

According to the announcement on the company’s website, “Topic data shows marketers what audiences are saying on Facebook about events, brands, subjects and activities, all in a way that keeps personal information private.

“Marketers use the information from topic data to make better decisions about how they market on Facebook and other channels, and build product roadmaps.”

According to the announcement, this type of data was available previously from third parties, but sample sizes were small and determining demographics was difficult. Topic data groups data and strips personal information from Facebook activity — not including messenger — to offer insight on activity around a topic.