News

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Nathan Matias Statement

Restricting Reddit Data Access Threatens Online Safety & Public-Interest Research

By (Full list of signatories below)

Sign this letter and seek/provide mutual aid Dear Steve Huffman, Last week, soon after Reddit announced plans to restrict free access to the Reddit API, the company cut off access to Pushshift, a data resource widely used by communities, journalists, and thousands of academics worldwide (see Pushshift’s official response). We are writing to express concern … Continue reading Restricting Reddit Data Access Threatens Online Safety & Public-Interest Research

Bit Meehan Statement

Letter: Twitter’s New API Plans Will Devastate Public Interest Research

By The Executive Board

April 3, 2023 On March 29th, after weeks of delays and uncertainty, Twitter’s Developer team announced details about new pricing tiers for access to the Twitter API that will devastate public interest research. Over the past decade, researchers across the world have relied on Twitter’s API to study the impact of social media on democracy, … Continue reading Letter: Twitter’s New API Plans Will Devastate Public Interest Research

A group of people attempt to access a website despite multiple locks, roadblocks, and stop signs
Bit Meehan Statement

Letter: Imposing Fees to Access the Twitter API Threatens Public-Interest Research

By (Full list of signatories below)

Sign this letter and seek/provide mutual aid Last week, the Twitter Development team announced that the platform will no longer allow free access to the Twitter API starting this Thursday, February 9. This dramatic restriction will disrupt critical projects from thousands of journalists, academics, and civil society actors worldwide who study some of the most … Continue reading Letter: Imposing Fees to Access the Twitter API Threatens Public-Interest Research

Bit Meehan Article

Knight First Amendment Institute: How to Avoid Social Media Blight

By Nathan Matias

When Elon Musk fired Vijaya Gadde, Twitter’s legal, public policy, trust and safety lead, at the start of an avalanche of firings and departures, the Tesla CEO’s actions were reminiscent of another automaker in crisis. After General Motors closed its Flint, Michigan, factories in 1997, it posted signs on the empty buildings: “Demolition Means Progress.” … Continue reading Knight First Amendment Institute: How to Avoid Social Media Blight