MidLand, Jakarta – Social media researchers have deleted, suspended or changed more than 100 studies on X, formerly Twitter, following actions taken by Elon Musk that limits access to social media platforms, as nearly a dozen interviews and surveys of planned projects show.
Musk’s restrictions on important data collection methods on global platforms have suppressed the ability to decipher the origin and spread of false information during real-time events such as Hamas attacks on Israel and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, they said researchers at Reuters, as cited on Tuesday. November 7, 2023.
The most prominent method is a tool that allows researchers to access data on about 10 million tweets per month. Twitter told researchers in February that it would end free academic access to this application programming interface (API) as part of an overhaul of the tool, according to an email seen by Reuters.
A survey of 167 academic and civil society researchers conducted in September at the request of Reuters by the Independent Technology Research Coalition tallied for the first time the number of studies canceled due to Musk’s policies.
This also shows that most respondents fear being sued by X for their findings or use of their data. These concerns follow X’s lawsuit in July against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) after the agency released a critical report on the platform’s content moderation.
Musk did not respond to a request for comment, and a representative for X declined to comment. The company had previously said that nearly all content views were “healthy” posts.
Musk’s first year of ownership According to an earlier Reuters report, X’s U.S. ad revenue has fallen by at least 55% year-over-year every month since Musk’s acquisition.
The investigation showed that 30 projects were cancelled, 47 projects stalled, and 27 researchers changed platforms. The report also revealed 47 ongoing projects, although some researchers noted that their ability to collect new data would be limited.
The research affected includes research on hate speech and topics that have come under intense scrutiny from global regulators. One example is a stalled project to study child safety on X. The platform was recently fined by Australian regulators for failing to cooperate with an investigation into its anti-child abuse practices.
The researcher on the stalled project and several others who responded to the Coalition’s survey asked to remain anonymous. One survey author said researchers may be trying to avoid backlash from X or protect ongoing research.
Announcement
According to the investigation, European Union regulators are also investigating X’s handling of misinformation, which was the focus of several independent research studies that were blocked or canceled.
The reduced ability to learn about the platform “makes (X) users vulnerable to more hate speech, to more misinformation and misinformation,” said Josephine Lukito, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin.
He helps conduct survey research for the coalition, a global group with more than 300 members, which seeks to advance the study of technology’s impact on society.
The survey was sent in mid-September via email to coalition members and via email lists to other academic groups, such as experts focused on political communication or social media.
The EU investigation into Any violation can result in fines of up to 6% of global revenue.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said they are also currently monitoring X’s compliance platform Other important legal obligations include allowing researchers who meet certain requirements to access publicly available data.
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