Proposal for Open-Source Social Media Data Donation Tool #9
Description
Name
Sachin Yadav
Email ID
yadavsachin6001@gmail.com
GitHub ID
https://github.com/Sachin0613
Discord ID
768023429076615188
Current Occupation
Student
Education Details
Thakur College of Engineering and Technology – B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering (4th Year)
Technical Skills with Level
- JavaScript – Intermediate
- HTML/CSS – Intermediate
- Python – Intermediate
- Node.js – Beginner
- Browser Extension Development – Beginner
- Git/GitHub – Intermediate
- MERN, JAVA, DBMS
Title:
Open-Source Social Media Data Donation Tool
Summary
This project aims to build an open-source browser extension that allows users to voluntarily donate their anonymized social media interaction data. These insights will help researchers, creators, and policymakers better understand how users engage with various types of content, including AI-generated posts. The tool will prioritize privacy, obtain clear user consent, and optionally include gamification features to increase participation. The final product will be a functional, open-source extension aligned with existing SimPPL workflows and open to community contributions.
Project Detail
1. Project Overview
Please list your understanding of the project (what the requirements are), any issues, additional support, and probable solutions for them.
a. Understanding of the project
The goal is to create a privacy-respecting browser extension that tracks user interaction on social media platforms (like Instagram or Twitter) and collects anonymized engagement data. This data is voluntarily donated by users and combined with platform APIs to enable better analysis of content trends.
b. Issues that might come up and the support needed from the org (if any)
Key challenges include handling browser API limitations and ensuring cross-browser compatibility which may need technical guidance. Platform-specific data access restrictions may require support on ethical and legal boundaries. UI/UX help would be useful for designing effective gamification features.
c. Solution
To address these challenges, I will follow WebExtension standards for multi-browser support, collect only permitted interaction metadata with clear user consent, and design simple gamification features like leaderboards or badges to encourage participation. Additionally, I will maintain well-documented, modular code to enable easy collaboration and future contributions.
2. Macro Implementation Details with Timelines
Share the macro milestones you will set, along with timelines (in weeks) for this project.
1. Research and planning (Week 1):
- Review platform APIs and existing tools.
- Define data collection scope, privacy, and consent mechanisms.
- Review browser extension compatibility across browsers—at least Google Chrome and Safari—including how data can be collected, given differences in browser architecture and privacy mechanisms. Consider using WebExtension standards to maximize compatibility and address browser-specific privacy controls and data collection limitations.
2. Extension development (Weeks 2–4):
- Build a browser extension for at least two major social media platforms compatible with both Google Chrome and Safari.
- Implement data anonymization and user consent.
- Ensure compatibility with our existing system.
3. Gamification and open-source setup (Week 5):
- Build a browser extension for at least one major platform.
- Design and integrate gamification features (time permitting).
4. Documentation and handover (Week 6):
- Prepare codebase for open-source contribution.
- Write clear documentation for users and developers.
- Hand over the project to the community for ongoing development.
Availability
Number of hours available to dedicate to this project per week: 14-15 hours
Other engagements: Open to consistent collaboration, feedback, and community learning