The Delegated Act on data access for vetted researchers has been adopted — a major step forward for independent research on systemic risks in the digital environment!

Thanks for the reminder @janemunday.bsky.social. Every summer, I repost this article DROWNING DOES NOT LOOK LIKE DROWNING. To date, I know of FOUR kids who were saved after someone who'd clicked on the link learnt how to spot actual drowning. Take time to read and pass on.

slate.com/technology/2...

Interested in improving researcher's access to social media data? Kate Dommett and myself are hiring for a Research Fellow (1 year; based at Sheffield) for an exciting new project to be announced soon: jobsite.sheffield.ac.uk/job/Research...

I've noticed so many errors like this in various AI interactions, even on basic math, but AI services never frame themselves as offering accommodation over accuracy or conjecture over clarity. It really worries me how many people are being misled and have no idea the information isn't reliable.

I asked ChatGPT to find out if a quote I heard from someone was a pop culture reference.

It told me it was from True Detective. A quick search confirmed that to be false.

Then it told me it 'misspoke'. When I asked for an explanation of why it gave me a fake answer first it said this:

We are delighted to share the publication of Risky Research: An AoIR Guide to Researcher Protection and Safety, the culmination of over two years of collaborative effort by the AoIR Risky Research Working Group.

aoir.org/riskyresearc...

The European Commission is recruiting for 60 roles in their DSA enforcement team. ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/run...

In times of crisis, citizens look to the EU for decisive actions and solutions.

According to a recent Eurobarometer survey, EU citizens wants the EU to focus on defence and security (36%) as well as competitiveness, economy and industry (32%).

🔗 Read more: europa.eu/!Hdtf79

That jokerless challenge broke me. Got there eventually but it really felt like a grind.

My point was a journalist writing about the DSA shouldn't just quote things like Vance likening it to censorship without providing factual information. Otherwise all people are seeing is the DSA=censorship claim repeated and that becomes the narrative. Repeating a misrepresentation is the problem.

I was thinking more like stating what it actually is and how it functions. And this is something we should be seeing in media coverage from those writing about the DSA rather than just using the censorship framing like it's a fact.

It's really disappointing to see how the DSA=censorship narrative appears in reporting on the DSA with no factual information provided about what it is and how it functions.

There seems to be a growing fundamental misunderstanding about it but I'm not hearing much of a countering explanation.

And here are some examples of what is meant by 'data' under the draft Delegated Act.

The Irish DSC’s survey on vetted researcher data access under Article 40 of the DSA is open for one more week!

Help shape how the procedures are designed and resourced to meet researcher needs. Key findings will be shared publicly.

Please share with your networks.

www.cnam.ie/industry-and...

As European leaders face pressure from the second Trump administration that is hostile to tech regulation, Jakob Ohme, LK Seiling, and Claes H. de Vreese write that Europe must protect the Digital Services Act (DSA) to ensure a democratic future, both online and offline:

NEW: Hossam Shabat’s Last Article

Filed hours before his killing in an Israeli airstrike, journalist
Hossam Shabat describes the resumption of Israel's scorched earth campaign in his hometown of Beit Hanoun.

Translated through tears by Sharif Kouddous

dropsitenews.com/p/hossam-sha...

This is precisely the problem @kesearles.bsky.social and I have been studying for the last few years. It’s why we created researchersupport.org. When experts are afraid to speak publicly, we all lose.

This story makes a really powerful (and tragically depressing) point: that there is no evidence strong enough to counter a world view anchored in conspiracy theory and reinforced by a multitide of motivated "influencers" — even the death of one's own child.

Roses are red
Violets are blue

We know it… but seeing it is still mind blowing.

Read this piece and search which of your works were used to train AI models. Without remuneration.

Dozens of chapters, articles, books

www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

We have less awareness about what happens on social media platforms in 2025 than we did five years ago, writes markscott.bsky.social.

This has been on my to do list for the last year. Taking this as yet another reminder to get working on it!

With usual sharpness and clarity @markscott.bsky.social writes here about the state of play in data access to social media platforms.

Several points are urgent. Example: expansion of existing research networks so that data access best practices can be shared.

www.techpolicy.press/the-next-ste...

Excited to share "Initial Analysis on the First Round of Risk Assessments under the EU Digital Services Act", in collaboration w/ the DSA Civil Society Coordination Group (of which ISD is a proud member)! Read about key trends, practices, gaps & reccs for better future risk assessment reports below.