Our commentary, published today in Nature Human Behaviour, addresses a critical challenge for academic research: the lack of reliable access to data from online platforms such as social media, streaming services, and search engines.
Legal frameworks, like the GDPR, allow platform users the right to access their data archives. This right has led to the development of ‘data donation’ research projects, in which platform users willingly share their data archives for research purposes. Despite this important progress, research initiatives face an important obstacle: a lack of platform adherence.
In a June 2024 survey of 51 researchers involved in data donation projects, 86% reported problems with the data archives provided by platforms.
In our commentary, we call for urgent action.
- Platforms must provide transparent, comprehensive, and consistent access to user data.
- Data protection authorities must strictly enforce privacy laws to ensure compliance.
The commentary is co-authored by Amber van der Wal, Teun Siebers, Ine Beyens, Laura Boeschoten & Theo Araujo.
Read the full commentary for more insights into the path forward.
