European researchers want to study social media’s harms but can’t get the data
Anna DesmaraisPoliticsJul 24, 2026 4:49 AMEuropean Researchers Say Big Tech Is Blocking Access to Their DataEU law gives researchers unprecedented rights to scrutinize social media data. Georgescu, who had previously been polling in the single digits, stunned observers by winning the election’s first round with 23 percent of the vote.In the Netherlands, Adriana Iamnitchi was watching closely. As chair of computational social sciences at Maastricht University, she leads the research into disinformation campaigns.
- ▪Anna DesmaraisPoliticsJul 24, 2026 4:49 AMEuropean Researchers Say Big Tech Is Blocking Access to Their DataEU law gives researchers unprecedented rights to scrutinize social media data.
- ▪Georgescu, who had previously been polling in the single digits, stunned observers by winning the election’s first round with 23 percent of the vote.In the Netherlands, Adriana Iamnitchi was watching closely.
- ▪As chair of computational social sciences at Maastricht University, she leads the research into disinformation campaigns.
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Anna DesmaraisPoliticsJul 24, 2026 4:49 AMEuropean Researchers Say Big Tech Is Blocking Access to Their DataEU law gives researchers unprecedented rights to scrutinize social media data. Researchers say TikTok, X, and Meta impede their attempts to look inside.Photo-Illustration: Wired Staff; Getty ImagesCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyIn the final weeks before Romania’s presidential vote in November 2024, TikTok accounts that had previously spent years posting about manicures or fashion suddenly started promoting a little-known politician named Calin Georgescu.His posts, espousing hard-line views on immigration and anti-Semitic tropes, were viewed 120 million times before the vote.
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