TY - JOUR
T1 - Fulfilling data access obligations
T2 - How could (and should) platforms facilitate data donation studies?
AU - Hase, Valerie
AU - Ausloos, Jef
AU - Boeschoten, Laura
AU - Pfiffner, Nico
AU - Janssen, Heleen
AU - Araujo, Theo
AU - Carrière, Thijs
AU - de Vreese, Claes
AU - Haßler, Jörg
AU - Loecherbach, Felicia
AU - Kmetty, Zoltán
AU - Möller, Judith
AU - Ohme, Jakob
AU - Schmidbauer, Elisabeth
AU - Struminskaya, Bella
AU - Trilling, Damian
AU - Welbers, Kasper
AU - Haim, Mario
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024, Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society. All rights reserved.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Research into digital platforms has become increasingly difficult. One way to overcome these difficulties is to build on data access rights in EU data protection law, which requires platforms to offer users a copy of their data. In data donation studies, researchers ask study participants to exercise this right and donate their data to science. However, there is increasing evidence that platforms do not comply with designated laws. We first discuss the obligations of data access from a legal perspective (with accessible, transparent, and complete data as key requirements). Next, we compile experiences from social scientists engaging in data donation projects as well as a study on data request/access. We identify 14 key challenges, most of which are a consequence of non-compliance by platforms. They include platforms’ insufficient adherence to (a) providing data in a concise and easily accessible form (e.g. the lack of information on when and how subjects can access their data); (b) being transparent about the content of their data (e.g. the lack of information on measures); and (c) providing complete data (e.g. the lack of all available information platforms process related to platform users). Finally, we formulate four central recommendations for improving the right to access.
AB - Research into digital platforms has become increasingly difficult. One way to overcome these difficulties is to build on data access rights in EU data protection law, which requires platforms to offer users a copy of their data. In data donation studies, researchers ask study participants to exercise this right and donate their data to science. However, there is increasing evidence that platforms do not comply with designated laws. We first discuss the obligations of data access from a legal perspective (with accessible, transparent, and complete data as key requirements). Next, we compile experiences from social scientists engaging in data donation projects as well as a study on data request/access. We identify 14 key challenges, most of which are a consequence of non-compliance by platforms. They include platforms’ insufficient adherence to (a) providing data in a concise and easily accessible form (e.g. the lack of information on when and how subjects can access their data); (b) being transparent about the content of their data (e.g. the lack of information on measures); and (c) providing complete data (e.g. the lack of all available information platforms process related to platform users). Finally, we formulate four central recommendations for improving the right to access.
KW - Data donation
KW - Digital trace data
KW - Internet policy
KW - Social media platforms
KW - Transparency
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85205293289&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.14763/2024.3.1793
DO - 10.14763/2024.3.1793
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85205293289
SN - 2197-6775
VL - 13
JO - Internet Policy Review
JF - Internet Policy Review
IS - 3
ER -