By Tan E-Reng

SYNOPSIS Social listening tools are a vital part of the disinformation and online harms researcher's toolkit, offering both depth and breadth in the insights they provide. However, there are inherent pitfalls that come with their use. This commentary elucidates what these pitfalls are and proposes steps to mitigate them. COMMENTARY Social listening tools, which are software applications that enable end-users to gather and analyse vast amounts of user-generated content propagated online on social media platforms, are a vital component of the toolkit for analysts who study disinformation and online harms. They help analysts to develop a clearer overall understanding of the disinformation and online harms landscape, and support investigations into ongoing information operations. While these tools are undoubtedly essential for the researcher’s toolkit, there are inherent pitfalls that may arise from their use, which could have negative repercussions for national security. This commentaary aims to elucidate some of these pitfalls and offer recommendations to mitigate them 

S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU Singapore,  2025. 6p.