Big Tech accused of stonewalling European social media researchers
European researchers are struggling to access data from major social media platforms like TikTok, despite legal mandates under the Digital Services Act. The platforms have denied requests for API access, citing security and commercial concerns, even as researchers attempt to study disinformation campaigns.
Why it matters
It underscores the ongoing tension between tech giants and regulators regarding transparency and the public interest in social media data.
DSA denials Big Tech accused of stonewalling European social media researchers Researchers say TikTok, X, and Meta aren’t providing data they’re legally required to.
12 Credit: Getty Images | Photographer is my life Credit: Getty Images | Photographer is my life Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav In the final weeks before Romania’s presidential vote in November 2024, TikTok accounts that had previously spent years posting about manicures or fashion suddenly started promoting a little-known politician named Calin Georgescu.
His posts, espousing hard-line views on immigration and anti-Semitic tropes, were viewed 120 million times before the vote. Georgescu, who had previously been polling in the single digits, stunned observers by winning the election’s first round with 23 percent of the vote.
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