Democrats fear Musk may retaliate against Twitter researchers

By: Cristiano Lima

Democratic lawmakers and academics are calling on Elon Musk to commit to keeping Twitter data open to outside researchers, citing concerns that his cuts to key teams and firings of critics could foreshadow broader crackdowns against external scrutiny. 

Two House Democrats on Friday called on Musk to reaffirm that the platform will still “enable researcher access to data available for the foreseeable future” in a letter shared exclusively with The Technology 202. 

After first launching his bid to buy Twitter in April, Musk said one of his goals was to boost transparency on the platform, including by making its algorithms “open source” and making any actions the company takes against individual posts more “apparent” to users.

In their letter to Musk, Reps. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) and Sean Casten (D-Ill.) said the mogul’s layoffs and product changes since taking over Twitter “run contrary to these promises.”

Social media researchers have sounded the alarm about major cuts inside Twitter, including to its Machine Learning, Ethics, Transparency, and Accountability team, which served as an internal watchdog and helped lead research and transparency efforts. 

Lawmakers also asked Musk to “commit to not retaliating” against researchers who publish studies digging into how his takeover of Twitter has impacted the site.

Zeve Sanderson, founding executive director of New York University’s Center for Social Media and Politics, said a recent pattern of “retaliatory” behavior by Musk has sparked concern that he could try to quash studies into what he called “the Musk effect on Twitter.” 

Musk could undercut scrutiny more subtly instead by not funding teams that help provide outside groups with data via its application programming interface, or API, researchers said.

“There still could be the case that under Musk there's now either fewer people supporting the academic API or fewer people supporting the API all together,” said NYU research scientist Megan Brown. 

Twitter, which recently gutted its communications team, did not immediately return a request for comment early Friday. 

Twitter, Sanderson and Brown said, has long been an industry leader when it comes to researcher access — but could backslide if Musk wavers on his pledges. 

“They’ve really been … ahead of the pack of other platforms,” said Brown, including by having ample “direct support staff that researchers could contact.”

The company in September created the Twitter Moderation Research Consortium, a program allowing outside researchers, academics and journalists to tap into its data to study trends. Washington Post reporters recently analyzed Twitter data on China- and Iran-linked political influence operations by enrolling in the consortium late last month. 

The fate of the consortium now appears unclear. Yoel Roth, the former Twitter head of safety who announced the program, abruptly resigned last week along with other executives.

Sanderson and Brown said they have yet to notice any changes to their access to Twitter data since Musk took over, but that they are on high alert for any shifts. 

The lawmakers said they rely on outside research to inform legislation and oversight.

“As policymakers, we depend on independent academic research and insights from civil society to understand digital services, their technical affordances and safety policies, and their impact on public health, free expression, and national security,” wrote Trahan and Casten, who in February introduced legislation to create a new federal transparency watchdog.

While officials in Europe have passed regulations requiring platforms to open up more data to outside researchers, parallel efforts in the United States have languished. Musk has said he will comply with local platform regulations.

Lawmakers and academics are also concerned that Musk’s breakneck push to drive up revenue and expand subscriptions could price out some researchers. 

In their letter, Trahan and Casten asked Musk whether he expects pricing for outside access to data to change and how he will “ensure that prices do not make access prohibitive.” 

Sanderson said he fears any pricing hikes could serve as a barrier to entry for researchers who are less funded. 

“This especially matters when it comes to access and equity within academia,” he said.

The lawmakers said they are seeking answers by Dec. 2 from Musk, who has at times bluntly brushed off congressional inquiries.