European social media researchers are reporting significant obstacles in obtaining data from platforms like TikTok, X, and Meta, despite legal requirements under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). Adriana Iamnitchi, a researcher at Maastricht University, experienced this firsthand when her team’s request for TikTok data to investigate disinformation campaigns related to a Romanian politician was denied. This denial occurred despite TikTok later identifying a coordinated network of fake accounts promoting the same politician.

Researchers contend that while the DSA aims to grant access to data for studying systemic risks, platforms are implementing it with restrictive interpretations and demanding security measures, like offline infrastructure, that are often beyond university resources. Companies have replaced public access tools with content libraries or paywalled APIs, forcing academics into costly subscriptions or limiting data access through daily quotas. This lack of data hinders the ability to study how platforms operate, recommend content, and handle sensitive material.

These challenges have led to legal battles, with Democracy Reporting International suing X for API access. The European Commission has even fined X €120 million for creating "unnecessary barriers" to researcher access. Platforms like TikTok and Meta maintain they provide comprehensive research tools and comply with the DSA, but researchers argue the implementation, not the law itself, is the core issue, leading to "black holes" in societal understanding of social media's impact.