On Thursday, January 23rd, we had the pleasure of hosting Ethan Zuckerman for his discussion on “The Case of Unpermissioned Research on Social Media”. Zuckerman explored the intricacies and ethical considerations of unpermissioned research within social media. This type of research, conducted without the explicit permission of the platforms being studied, is important for understanding the effects of social media on society.
This presentation was cosponsored by the UT-Austin School of Information.
Q&A Session with Ethan Zuckerman
Zuckerman began by highlighting the challenges researchers face in accessing comprehensive data from platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok. Despite the significant impact of social media, the effects are often nuanced and not as dramatic as popular narratives suggest. This gap in understanding is partly due to the limited access researchers have to the necessary data.
Unpermissioned research involves innovative methods for gathering data without the platform’s consent. For example, Zuckerman’s team estimated the total number of videos on YouTube by querying random URLs, revealing approximately 15.2 billion videos. Similarly, they analyzed TikTok data to gain insights into its user base and content distribution, particularly in South Asia.
Zuckerman also emphasized the need for transparency and consent when dealing with sensitive data. He shared examples of ethical dilemmas, such as the potential harm of exposing private moments shared on social media, and talked about how researchers must navigate these challenges carefully to ensure their work does not cause harm.
Platforms often resist unpermissioned research, citing terms of service and legal constraints. This resistance can lead to significant legal risks for researchers. An example is Laura Edelson’s work on Facebook’s political ad library, where Edelson revealed discrepancies in the ad library, and Facebook disabled her accounts and threatened legal action. Read more about her work here.
Because of these challenges, Zuckerman advocates to legitimize unpermissioned research, which is necessary to audit social media platforms.
Photos from the Event:
Ethan Zuckerman – 3
Ethan Zuckerman – 2
Ethan Zuckerman – 4
Ethan Zuckerman – 5
Ethan Zuckerman – 1
