#data-access — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #data-access, aggregated by home.social.
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YouTube Restricts Data Access While Claiming Openness
By Cliff Potts, CSO, and Editor-in-Chief of WPS News
Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines — May 10, 2026
Reporting
Under the Digital Services Act (DSA), very large online platforms are expected to provide vetted researchers with access to data necessary to study systemic risks. YouTube has publicly stated that it supports independent research and has expanded transparency initiatives in response to EU regulation.
In practice, meaningful data access remains limited.
EU-based researchers report long approval timelines, narrow data scopes, and technical constraints that prevent robust analysis of recommendation systems, visibility controls, and monetization impacts. Access is often restricted to pre-defined datasets that exclude variables needed to test platform claims. Requests to examine how changes affect specific languages, regions, or political topics are frequently denied or deferred.
While YouTube cites privacy and security concerns, the effect is consistent: independent verification of platform behavior is difficult or impossible.
Analysis
Transparency without access is a managed narrative.
By controlling which data can be studied and how it is delivered, YouTube determines the boundaries of permissible inquiry. Researchers can confirm what the platform already acknowledges, but they cannot test claims that matter most to public oversight—how recommendations amplify content, how visibility is adjusted, and how monetization decisions shape behavior.
This posture reflects incentives established at the parent-company level. Google treats core data flows as strategic assets. Opening them to external scrutiny risks exposing design choices that contradict public assurances. Limited access preserves reputational control while allowing the company to claim cooperation.
From a regulatory standpoint, this creates an asymmetry. Platforms possess comprehensive internal data. Regulators and researchers receive fragments. Oversight becomes dependent on platform-selected evidence rather than independent examination.
What Remains Unclear
YouTube does not publish clear criteria explaining which EU researchers qualify for data access, what datasets are available, or how long approvals should take. It also does not disclose how many requests are denied or narrowed, nor on what grounds.
Without these disclosures, it is impossible to assess whether data access obligations are being met in substance rather than in form.
Why This Matters
The DSA’s research access provisions were designed to reduce information asymmetry between platforms and the public. When access is constrained to safe or partial views, that asymmetry persists.
If regulators cannot rely on independent research to test platform claims, enforcement depends on self-reporting and after-the-fact investigation. That model has already failed to prevent repeated harm.
For EU oversight to function as intended, data access must enable scrutiny, not just symbolism. Until then, claims of openness remain unproven.
References (APA)
European Commission. (2024). Digital Services Act: Data access for vetted researchers.
#dataAccess #DigitalServicesAct #Google #platformTransparency #Research #YouTube
European Digital Rights (EDRi). (2023). Opening the black box: Research access under the DSA.
AlgorithmWatch. (2022). Why platform data access matters for accountability. -
Oh, look! Another riveting piece on transgender homicides, hidden behind the glorious barrier of #JavaScript and #cookies 🍪🔒. Because, naturally, the data on crimes can't be accessed without first proving you're not a bot 🦾. Who knew that the key to understanding societal violence was a cookie acceptance button? 🤦♂️
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6182901 #transgenderhomicides #dataaccess #societalviolence #onlineprivacy #HackerNews #ngated -
Google Ads cuts granular data access to 37 months starting June 2026: Google Ads cuts granular reporting to 37 months from June 2026, reversing its 11-year policy and affecting the Google Ads API, scripts, and BigQuery pipelines. https://ppc.land/google-ads-cuts-granular-data-access-to-37-months-starting-june-2026/ #GoogleAds #DigitalMarketing #PPC #DataAccess #BigQuery
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DOGE employee stole Social Security data and put it on a thumb drive, report says | TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/10/doge-employee-stole-social-security-data-and-put-it-on-a-thumb-drive-report-says/ #data #privacy #PII #stolen #Doge #cybersecurity #dataaccess #governance #readonly
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🚫403 ERROR: The secret to understanding EV battery health is... drumroll, please... absolutely nothing! 🎉 Because who needs actual information when you can simply gaze into the abyss of a "Forbidden" screen and pretend to learn? 🙄🔋
https://www.geotab.com/blog/ev-battery-health/ #EVbatteryHealth #ForbiddenKnowledge #TechHumor #DataAccess #Issues #HackerNews #ngated -
EU regulators identify gatekeepers' AI advantages in data and infrastructure access: High-Level Group paper maps Digital Markets Act interplay with AI competition as Brussels opens Google investigation on December 9, 2025, examining content usage terms. https://ppc.land/eu-regulators-identify-gatekeepers-ai-advantages-in-data-and-infrastructure-access/ #AIRegulation #DigitalMarketsAct #GoogleInvestigation #AIEthics #DataAccess
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🚨BREAKING: #Sandisk innovates the art of losing things with a #USB-C #flash #drive that can hold up to 1 TB (or approximately 1,000 TB of lost files). 💾🎉 Now you can misplace your data in style, starting at just $15.99. Thanks, Sandisk, for making #storage so... extreme. 🙄✨
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Sandisk-launches-dongle-like-Extreme-Fit-USB-C-flash-drive-with-up-to-1-TB-capacity.1156601.0.html #innovation #tech #lostfiles #dataaccess #HackerNews #ngated -
Frozen DuckLakes for Multi-User, Serverless Data Access
https://ducklake.select/2025/10/24/frozen-ducklake/
#HackerNews #FrozenDuckLakes #MultiUser #Serverless #DataAccess #CloudComputing #DataInnovation
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Meta and TikTok are obstructing researchers' access to data, EU commission rules
#HackerNews #Meta #TikTok #DataAccess #EUCommission #ResearchTransparency
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Today is the day 🎁
The #dsa regime for researchers to get access to platform data to study societal impact and risks starts TODAY.
This has been a loooooong time coming. And the proof of the pudding will be in the eating …
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https://get.mypost.to/KLGf32
In the hierarchy of digital policymaking priorities, it’s artificial intellig...
#socialmedia #dataaccess #governance #techpolicy -
https://get.mypost.to/KLGf32
In the hierarchy of digital policymaking priorities, it’s artificial intellig...
#socialmedia #dataaccess #governance #techpolicy -
No access ⛔
New report documents the difficulty for researchers to get access to social media data.
The access challenge has multiple effects:
1️⃣ Partial access is partial knowledge.
2️⃣ Some platforms are over-studied, some under-studied.
3️⃣ Access limitations lead to redesigned studies.
4️⃣ Barriers lead to fears of violating terms of service.Better research access is needed. For science and society.
#dataaccess #research #DSA #platforms
https://www.digmin.dk/Media/638923153870518987/9724_DIGMIN_Faktaark_Adgang-ngtet_UK_3_WEB.pdf
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As part of the final judgment, Google is now required to share click-through data with qualified competitors.
This is a historic move toward search engine interoperability and could reshape the competitive landscape of search and AI training data.
📄 Full judgment (286 pages):
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25032745-045110819896/#Google #Antitrust #SearchEngines #Interoperability #OpenSearch #DigitalMarkets #CompetitionLaw #TechPolicy #DataAccess #PlatformRegulation #SearchMonopoly
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The asks are clear:
Better enforcement of legislation like the DSA, more funding, heightened political awareness of this crucial work, and more support for research collaborations.Kudos to the coalition team and supporters for putting together an insightful and critical report 👏: https://independenttechresearch.org/citr-report-2025/
#DSA #DataAccess #Research -
Introducing ODP .NET 23.9: Enhanced Features for Distributed Transactions, AI, and More.
#oracle #dotnet #dataaccess #ai #database #odpnet #dotnetcore #netframework
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Multi-Region Row Level Security in CockroachDB
https://www.cockroachlabs.com/blog/fine-grained-access-control-row-level-security/
#HackerNews #MultiRegion #Security #CockroachDB #RowLevelSecurity #DataAccess
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✅ The report lays the groundwork for future independent monitoring of malign influence campaigns targeting climate policies and provides critical evidence for (EU) regulators to hold platforms to account today: https://www.disinfo.eu/heat-harmful-environmental-agendas-and-tactics/ #DSA #dataaccess #systemicrisk
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Here's the press release on the delegated act: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-adopts-delegated-act-data-access-under-digital-services-act
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FINALLY 😌 The Delegated Act is here. The Act clarifies rules for data access under the Digital Services Act #DSA #dataaccess #research #eusky #commsky #polisky #csssky digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/d...
Delegated act on data access u... -
Salesforce has restricted AI rivals from accessing Slack messages, citing privacy but aiming to fuel its own AI ambitions. Tools like Glean are now blocked from using Slack data, signaling a major shift in enterprise AI access and data control.
#Salesforce #Slack #EnterpriseAI #DataPrivacy #APILimits #Glean #TechNews #AIBattle #AIIntegration #DataAccess #TECHi
Read Full Article Here :- https://www.techi.com/slack-data-lockdown-salesforce-ai-restrictions/
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Hey folks at #DataHarvest 👋
I’m unfortunately missing out on engaging in person but if you are interested in expanding your data-driven stories via social media monitoring, you may find this resource useful: https://data-knowledge-hub.com/ #research #dataaccess