Elon Musk Restricts Access To Research, More Than 100 Studies About X Canceled

Elon Musk limits the access of researchers to Platform X. (photo: twitter@TheBabylonBee)

Social media researchers have canceled, delayed, or changed more than 100 studies about X, formerly known as Twitter, due to actions taken by Elon Musk. The Twitter owner has limited access to the social media platform.

Musk's restrictions on critical methods of data collection on the global platform have put pressure on the ability to uncover the origin and spread of false information during real-time events, such as Hamas attacks on Israel and Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.

The most important method affected is a tool that gives researchers access to data of about 10 million tweets per month. Twitter notified researchers in February that it would end access to free academics to this app programming interface (API) as part of the renovation of the tool.

A survey conducted by the Coalition for Independent Technology Research in September to 167 academic and civil society researchers at Reuters' request for the first time quantified the number of studies that had been canceled due to Musk's policy.

The survey also showed most survey respondents were concerned that X would sue them for their findings or use of data. The concern follows X's July lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) after CCDH published a critical report on the platform's content moderation.

Musk did not respond to requests for comment, while representatives X also declined to comment. The company previously said that almost all of the content display was a "healthy" post.

Musk's first year of ownership of X was marked by advertisers fleeing the site. They fear that their ads could appear next to malicious content. X's ad revenue in the United States fell by at least 55% year-over-year each month since Musk's acquisition.

The survey showed 30 projects were canceled, 47 projects were postponed, and 27 projects where researchers switched to other platforms. The survey also revealed 47 ongoing projects, although some researchers noted that their ability to collect fresh data would be limited.

Affected studies include research on hate speech and topics that have attracted the attention of global regulators. For example, a project postponed aims to study child safety at X. The platform was recently fined by Australian regulators for not wanting to cooperate with investigations into child abuse practices.

Researchers for the project have been postponed and several others responding to the Coalition survey have asked to remain anonymous. A survey author said researchers might try to avoid responses from X or protect ongoing studies.

European Union regulators are currently also investigating the handling of X on disinformation, which is the focus of several independent studies that have been delayed or canceled.

"The reduced ability to learn the platform "makes users in X vulnerable to more hate speech, more false information, and more disinformation," said Josephine Lukito, an assistant professor at the University of Texas, Austin.

He helped conduct research surveys for the coalition, a global group with more than 300 members, aimed at advancing studies on the impact of technology on society.

The survey was sent in mid-September via email to coalition members as well as an email list for other academic groups, such as experts who focus on political communications or social media.

The EU's investigation into X, under strict internet regulations that came into force in August, highlights the potential regulatory threat against the San Francisco-based company. Any breach could result in fines of up to 6% of global revenue.

A spokesman for the EU Commission said it is currently monitoring X's compliance, as well as other major platforms, with legal obligations, which include providing access to researchers who meet certain requirements to gain access to publicly available data.

Before Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion, most studies on social media were related to Twitter, as the platform was a valuable source of information about politics and current events. Moreover, the platform data is easily accessible.

But since Musk bought Twitter, he has started cutting costs and laid off thousands of employees, including those working on research tools.

Now, X is offering three layers of API subscriptions ranging from $100 to $42,000 per month, and the layer at lower prices provides less data than available to researchers for free before. Almost every researcher who spoke to Reuters said they were unable to pay the fee.