(C) Alec Muffett's DropSafe blog.
Author Name: Alec Muffett
This story was originally published on allecmuffett.com. [1]
License: CC-BY-SA 3.0.[2]


I just want to take this unparalleled opportunity, by example, to demonstrate how “we must force social network platforms to be more transparent” will make policy debate more toxic

2025-02-06 05:36:27+00:00

Elon Musk and his henchvolk roam free though the fields of US Government data, and this has led to amateur political analysis of data, even stuff that has been available to the public for many years, with bias and without understanding, let alone context.

Fanatics + Politics + Data = Prolific Misinformation

This is a lovely little example of what happens when people with an axe to grind get their hands on troves of content without the institutional context necessary to judge “intent” — and it’s what Civil Society in general have been pressing for years to be allowed to coerce the online platforms to provide.

And now, gradually, they are getting it.

Be assured, the EU’s label of “vetted researcher” does not mean anything terribly special:

8. Upon a duly substantiated application from researchers, the Digital Services Coordinator of establishment shall grant such researchers the status of ‘vetted researchers’ for the specific research referred to in the application and issue a reasoned request for data access to a provider of very large online platform or of very large online search engine a pursuant to paragraph 4, where the researchers demonstrate that they meet all of the following conditions: (a) they are affiliated to a research organisation as defined in Article 2, point (1), of Directive (EU) 2019/790; (b) they are independent from commercial interests; (c) their application discloses the funding of the research; (d) they are capable of fulfilling the specific data security and confidentiality requirements corresponding to each request and to protect personal data, and they describe in their request the appropriate technical and organisational measures that they have put in place to this end; (e) their application demonstrates that their access to the data and the time frames requested are necessary for, and proportionate to, the purposes of their research, and that the expected results of that research will contribute to the purposes laid down in paragraph 4; (f) the planned research activities will be carried out for the purposes laid down in paragraph 4; (g) they have committed themselves to making their research results publicly available free of charge, within a reasonable period after the completion of the research, subject to the rights and interests of the recipients of the service concerned, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679. Upon receipt of the application pursuant to this paragraph, the Digital Services Coordinator of establishment shall inform the Commission and the Board.

…and so what we will see is the mushrooming of a niche ecosystem of overexcitable academics with axes to grind and the desire to make a name (and outrage headlines) for themselves, the better to launch ongoing careers in the techlash business.

You want examples? That’s None Of Your Business. <cough/>
[END]

[1] URL: https://alecmuffett.com/article/112144
[2] URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

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