It is revealed that Twitter is pressing researchers who use API to ``pay 5.9 million yen per month or delete all data''
For researchers who use Twitter's API for research purposes, either `` pay $ 42,000 per month (about 5.9 million yen) '' or `` delete all Twitter data that has been used so far '' It became clear that it was approaching.
Twitter is making researchers delete data it gave them unless they pay $42,000
Musk's Twitter wants academics to delete data in 'book burning' scheme - Dexerto
https://www.dexerto.com/tech/musks-twitter-wants-academics-to-delete-data-in-book-burning-scheme-2156746/
Twitter provides a database called Decahose that randomly samples 10% of all tweets. For many years, Twitter has provided this Decahose enterprise API to academic researchers, who have used it to study and analyze communication on Twitter.
Specifically, there are cases where tracking tweets on Twitter is used to analyze how disinformation spreads and for academic research.
In addition, Elon Musk, who acquired Twitter, said before the acquisition, ``Given that Twitter effectively functions as a public square, failure to uphold the principles of free speech undermines the foundation of democracy. It will lead to things, ”he tweeted, appealing that Twitter should be freely available to everyone.
Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 26, 2022
What should be done? https://t.co/aPS9ycji37
However, in recent weeks, Twitter has contacted researchers using the Decahose API, saying, 'If you want to access 0.3% of all tweets posted on the platform, pay $ 42,000 per month (about 5.9 million yen). It became clear that they are asking for 'to'.
This $42,000 monthly fee is the same as Twitter's paid plan for businesses. In addition, when the Twitter API was charged, researchers complained that ``the price is too high even though there is too little data that can be accessed.''
Twitter announces new API and recommends ``migration within 30 days'', free plan is limited to 1500 tweets per month-GIGAZINE
Overseas news media inews.co.uk has independently obtained an email sent by Twitter to researchers using the Decahose API, and the text of the email reads, '(Paying a usage fee of $42,000 If not) All Twitter data stored and cached in the system must be erased.' In addition, researchers have been asked to submit screenshots as 'evidence of deleting Twitter data', and it is reported that they are given a grace period of 30 days if they respond to data deletion.
It was before Musk's acquisition of Twitter that Twitter offered the Decahose API free of charge to academic researchers. As a result, the researchers believe that the Decahose API will not suddenly become unavailable, and although the contract included language regarding data deletion, ``I don't think there will be any request to delete data. ', says the researcher.
An anonymous researcher who received an email from Twitter about the Decahose API said, ``There is a significant amount of research underway to uncover what happened on Twitter over the past few years. is devastating for these studies, for the transparency of the platform, and for the historical material of public debate on Twitter.' said.
Filippo Mentzer, director of the social media watchdog at Indiana University, said: 'Changes to the Twitter API will make people and platforms more vulnerable to the spread of misinformation, manipulation of social media, and abuse online. It will have a devastating impact on research on
Academic research isn't the only thing that's been affected by Musk's policy shift since acquiring Twitter, Mentzer said. In fact, people who study Twitter have developed tools such as
``Twitter's decision could have a significant impact on the reproducibility of papers by research groups using Decahose,'' said Manoel Horta Ripeiro, who studies social media at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne. mentioned. However, although this change is significant, the impact on academic research is 'highly likely to remain in a small part.' Regarding the reason, Ripeiro said, ``I think there are a small number of scholars using Decahose.Therefore, this change may not affect those who use the standard API or the later released academic API. There is,' he said.
He also said some researchers would scrape and analyze unofficial data to access tweet data. This is the same rebellious approach that many developers took when Twitter increased the price of access to their API. However, this process is much more difficult than having official access brokered by Twitter.
inews.co.uk reached out to Twitter for a response, but did not receive a response.
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