Researchers Accuse Big Tech of Stonewalling EU Data Mandates
AI-generated image · US National Wire
Despite the Digital Services Act, academics say platforms like TikTok, X, and Meta are using security hurdles and paywalls to block systemic risk investigations.
Researchers are accusing social media giants of obstructing legal mandates intended to provide transparency into platform operations. According to reporting from Ars Technica, academics say TikTok, X, and Meta are avoiding requirements set by the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA) through obfuscation and narrow interpretations of the law.
One prominent example involves Adriana Iamnitchi, chair of computational social sciences at Maastricht University. Iamnitchi sought API access to investigate how hidden influencer marketing and livestreamed content promoted politician Calin Georgescu during Romania's November 2024 presidential vote. TikTok denied the request, citing failures to meet security requirements or prove researcher status. TikTok later identified a network of over 27,000 fake accounts promoting Georgescu and his party, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), though the company claimed it did not know the network's origin.
Beyond individual denials, researchers highlight systemic barriers. Duncan Allen of Democracy Reporting International (DRI) notes that X has paywalled API data, while Meta replaced its CrowdTangle tool with content libraries. Other platforms, including TikTok, impose daily caps on data retrieval that Allen says make large-scale studies impossible.
Implementation remains a primary friction point. Iamnitchi points out that most universities lack the resources to house data on hardware that platforms require to be physically disconnected from the internet. L. K. Seiling of the DSA40 Collaboratory, which tracks 46 applications, reports that only 20 were approved. While TikTok approved 11 of 13 tracked applications, X rejected 11 of 23. Seiling suggests the current system is designed to disincentivize researchers.