Commentary
March 3, 2026
The train has left the station: Agentic AI and the future of social science research | Brookings
Brookings
A new era of agentic AI agents has begun. What does it mean for social scientists? Solomon Messing and Joshua Tucker discuss.
February 19, 2026
6 principles for independent research in a digital world
Brookings
We propose six principles to guide research on digital markets: (1) public information should be available for research, (2) independent research is needed to monitor and evaluate firm operations, (3) firms must facilitate the sharing of research-relevant data with external researchers, (4) firms should not block research findings, (5) institutions, in particular universities and journals, should protect researchers from legal risks, and (6) the academic community must play a role in safeguarding research ethics and integrity.
February 12, 2026
Embracing Platform Transparency in a Digital World to Strengthen Democracy
The Democracy Project - NYU Law School
A broad range of views on democracy to help break the stalemate caused by partisan conflict.
February 4, 2026
Was there censorship on TikTok after the U.S. takeover?
Good Authority
Analysis finds no evidence consistent with allegations of censorship following the January 2026 U.S. restructuring of TikTok, attributing observed posting declines to a technical outage.
December 18, 2025
The Joe Rogan of the left, right, and center is just … Joe Rogan
Good Authority
Research challenges the perception that Joe Rogan's podcast exclusively promotes conservative viewpoints, finding podcast discussions surprisingly balanced across the political spectrum.
November 27, 2025
Platform-Independent Experiments on Social Media
Science
A perspectives piece discussing a methodological approach for testing platform algorithm effects on partisan animosity without requiring direct platform collaboration.
July 26, 2025
Comments on Ofcom's Call for Evidence on Researcher Access
Ofcom (Policy Submission)
Formal comments addressing barriers to data access for researchers studying online safety and proposing governance models under the Online Safety Act 2023.
March 25, 2025
CSMAP Responds to FTC Inquiry into Tech Censorship
Tech Policy Press
Tucker and Sanderson respond to an FTC inquiry into alleged social media platform bias, arguing that asymmetric production of misinformation—not platform censorship—drives content moderation disparities.
December 17, 2024
The Case for Open Data Access to Aid Tech Regulation
Brookings Institution
Examines how researchers need accessible data pathways from social media platforms to empirically study potential risks and harms, using TikTok regulation debates as a primary case study.
December 9, 2024
Feedback on the EU's Digital Services Act
EU Commission (Policy Submission)
Formal comments to the European Commission on the Digital Services Act advocating for standardized data-sharing structures to facilitate independent research access to platform data.
November 25, 2024
Studying the 2024 Election — and Beyond
CSMAP Blog
Examines how the online information environment has fragmented following the 2024 presidential election, discussing challenges and CSMAP's research approaches to understanding digital media's role in politics.
February 23, 2024
Why the Texas and Florida Social Media Cases are Important for Research Transparency
Lawfare
Examines how two Supreme Court cases challenging Texas and Florida social media laws could impact researchers' ability to access platform data.
January 22, 2024
Misunderstood Mechanics: How AI, TikTok, and the Liar's Dividend Might Affect the 2024 Elections
Brookings Institution
Commentary examining how generative AI and platforms like TikTok could influence the 2024 elections, arguing that many fears about AI-generated misinformation are exaggerated but the technology may still meaningfully alter the information landscape.
November 1, 2023
Beyond Red Teaming: Facilitating User-Based Data Donation to Study Generative AI
Tech Policy Press
Proposes that generative AI companies should voluntarily facilitate user data donations to researchers as an alternative to red teaming, enabling empirical study of how people actually use these tools.
July 14, 2023
AI Could Create a Disinformation Nightmare in the 2024 Election
The Hill
Op-ed examining how generative AI like ChatGPT could intensify disinformation challenges by lowering barriers to creating convincing text and images ahead of the 2024 election.
July 7, 2023
Comments to White House OSTP on AI
White House OSTP (Policy Submission)
Formal comments to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on how generative AI poses risks to the information ecosystem, focusing on transparent standards for identifying AI-generated content.
May 23, 2023
Feedback on EU Article 40 (Digital Services Act Data Access)
EU Commission (Policy Submission)
Formal comments to the European Commission on the DSA's data access provisions, emphasizing the necessity of independent research access to social media platform data.
February 24, 2023
Globally, Russia May Actually Not Be Losing the Information War
Tech Policy Press
Examines Russia's information warfare surrounding its invasion of Ukraine, arguing that while the disinformation campaign has failed in Western countries, it has been more successful within Russia and among Global Majority nations.
November 9, 2022
Musk's Twitter Shake-Up Could Deliver a Critical Blow to Social Media Research
The Hill
Argues that Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter and subsequent layoffs threaten independent social media research, urging policymakers to mandate data access for academics.
July 10, 2022
Big Tech Must Step Up Now to Fight Misinformation in the Midterms
The Hill
Commentary arguing that social media platforms must strengthen election integrity measures ahead of the 2022 midterms, as over 100 candidates embraced false claims about election fraud.
May 4, 2022
The Social Media Data We Need to Answer Key Research Questions
Senate Judiciary (Policy Submission)
Letter to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee outlining the types of research questions academics need to answer and the social media data required, including exposure data and recommendation algorithms.
April 26, 2022
How to Evaluate Elon Musk's (Potential) Impact On Twitter
Tech Policy Press
Examines three critical areas to monitor regarding Elon Musk's potential ownership of Twitter: content moderation policies, platform transparency, and external researcher data access.
April 12, 2022
The People Who Believe Russia's Disinformation
Slate
Commentary examining where Russia's disinformation campaigns about Ukraine are succeeding and failing, analyzing how state-controlled narratives persist in Russia and parts of the Global South.
December 10, 2021
A Modest Ox: Examining Two Approaches to Testing Crowdsourced Fact Checking
Tech Policy Press
Examines two research approaches to testing crowdsourced fact-checking, comparing findings on whether ordinary citizens can effectively identify misinformation at rates comparable to professional fact-checkers.
December 1, 2021
How to Fix Social Media? Start with Independent Research
Brookings Institution
Argues that Congress should establish a federal data-sharing mandate enabling independent researchers to access social media platform data for rigorous analysis.
November 4, 2021
Academic Researchers Need Access to the Facebook Papers
Slate
Argues that academic researchers need access to the Facebook Papers to help interpret Facebook's internal research findings and support informed policy discussions.
October 5, 2021
Facebook, Open Your Data Trove
New York Daily News
Op-ed arguing that social media platforms should be required to provide greater transparency and data access to outside researchers, citing the Facebook Papers as evidence.
October 27, 2020
The Limited Room for Russian Troll Influence in 2016
Lawfare
Argues that Russian Internet Research Agency troll accounts likely had minimal impact on the 2016 election outcome, given their tiny fraction of total campaign content and a highly polarized electorate.
December 21, 2012
Tweeting Tragedy: From Prayer to Politics
Al Jazeera
Analysis of how Twitter discourse surrounding the Newtown shooting evolved from initial expressions of grief to calls for political action, using trending hashtags to track this shift.