Thread by @Antonyn6

The #EU regulation for online Platforms, the #DigitalServicesAct (#DSA), plans in the article 31 to allow « access to platforms data for vetted researchers ». Unpopular opinion: it is a bad idea lignes-de-cretes.org/access-to-plat…

Some approved experts would be allowed under certain condition, access to some inside data from the platforms.What can go wrong ? Let’s ask the annoying quetion : what kind of access, what is "data" and how do we plan to organise the "vetting"

"access" does not means a "right to publish". Data, used, stored, accessed or published are governed by General Data Protection Regulation. #GDPR is highly protective of users, but, platforms like to use GDPR to shut down researchers accessing their data (like @algorithmwatch)

Access to data without opening the data to the public at some point makes no sense. Right now @gizmodo sat up a comittee dedicated to make the Facebook papers leaked by Frances Haugen available to the public (huge thanks to them !)

Because without public access there is a threat on #OSINT. OSINT is based on public accessing data. In OSINT, a proof is a proof because anyone can access the proof following the path showed by the investigator or the researcher. No Open Access = no OSINT

Second question : « What is #Data ? » Platforms’ data are commercial data. And platforms are dealing data. Us, researchers, have simply become data junkies. We need data no matter where it comes from and how product is cut. Access to data is us asking the pusher for free doses

For Platforms, deal is great: in exchange for free samples, their commercial data make their way into PhDs, scholar articles and bibliographies and it becomes « scientific » data. But nothing is scientific unless there is access to algorithm and we know how these data are made

Eventually there is the problem of "vetted researchers". It is not really a protection. Let’s hope that a responsible body (like @EDMO_EUI) will be responsible for the vetting process. Even though, we know a few instances with highly problematic vetted academic scholars

Let’s just think of Theodore Postol, his lies about Assad Chemical weapons and all the work done by @bellingcat to counter them. prof #Raoult is also a vetted researcher, not really helping against disinformation. And Gaddafi regime used to by entire academic department

We do not need access to data for vetted researchers, we need algorithm transparency and public access to data and more @FrancesHaugen. #EU #DSA #DMA #Europe. Read the whole piece here ==> lignes-de-cretes.org/access-to-plat…