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Verena Kunz

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Noemi Hartung

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Applying for Platform Data Access under the Digital Services Act (DSA)

About
Location:
Online via Zoom
Course Times:
09:30-12:30 and 13:30-16:30 (CET) (all sessions are live teaching and contact hours, each block includes a short coffee break)
 
General Topics::
Computational Social Science, Research Data Management
 
Course Level:
Beginner
Format:
Workshop
Software used:
none
Duration:
1 day
Language:
English
Fees:
Student: 110 €
Academic: 165 €
Commercial: 330 €
 
Keywords
Additional links
Lecturer(s): Simon Kruschinski, Yannick Peters, Olivier Rouquette

About the lecturer - Simon Kruschinski

About the lecturer - Yannick Peters

About the lecturer - Olivier Rouquette

Course description

Registration deadline: 01.04.2027  
Registration after this date might be possible, but is subject to sufficient demand and availability of places.
The Digital Services Act (DSA) is the central EU regulation for online platforms. Its Article 40 obliges very large online platforms and search engines, such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, X, or Google Search, to give researchers access to their data for the study of systemic risks, for example risks to civic discourse and electoral processes, to fundamental rights, to public health, or to the protection of minors. Many platforms have restricted or discontinued the application programming interfaces (APIs) that researchers relied on to collect data at scale. Article 40 therefore offers one of the most important legally grounded routes to platform data, making the ability to prepare a strong access application a key skill for researchers.
There are two different routes for access to platform data under the DSA. Under Article 40(12), researchers can request access to data that is publicly accessible on the platform. Under Article 40(4), vetted researchers can obtain access to non-public data through a reasoned request issued by a Digital Services Coordinator (DSC), the national regulator, after an application via the EU Data Access Portal. Both routes require a formal application that links the research design to systemic risks, specifies the requested data, and documents data protection and security measures. Incomplete or imprecise applications are one of the main reasons for delays and rejections of data access.
This one-day online workshop prepares participants to draft a DSA data access application under Article 40(4) or 40(12). Three input sessions cover (1) the legal and procedural foundations of DSA data access, including the differences between the two routes, the Delegated Regulation and the Data Access Portal, (2) the content of an application, in particular the systemic risk framing under Articles 34 and 35, research design and data specification, and (3) the data protection, security, and infrastructure requirements. Each input session is followed by interactive group work in which participants apply the input to a research idea, either an example case prepared by the lecturers or their own project, and discuss which access route fits, how the research question links to systemic risks, how the data needs are specified, and which data protection and security aspects have to be addressed. No legal background and software are required. The workshop closes with an overview of the submission timelines, a checklist for getting the writing and submission of an application started, a collection of materials and guidelines from different sources, and information on follow-up support through the GESIS consulting service on DSA data access.
 
Organizational structure of the course
The workshop is held live online via Zoom in two blocks of three hours (09:30-12:30 and 13:30-16:30), each with a short coffee break. About two hours are devoted to input, two hours to group work in breakout rooms, and two hours to plenary sessions (introduction, presentation and discussion of group results, closing). The group work builds up over the day: in the morning, groups sketch a research idea and discuss which access route fits it, after lunch they work out how the research question, the link to systemic risks, and the data needs would be framed in an application, and in the afternoon, they discuss the data protection and security aspects. The aim of the group work is a shared understanding of what the sections of an application have to contain and how they are best argued, so that participants can draft their own application after the workshop.
  • During exercise time, participants work in groups of three to four along guiding questions that follow the sections of the EU Data Access Portal (project sketch and access route, research design and data specification, data protection and security). Groups work either on a prepared example case or on a participant's own project idea. Each exercise ends with a short presentation of the groups' considerations and a plenary discussion.
  • The three lecturers rotate through the breakout rooms, answer questions, and give feedback on the groups' ideas and framing. Results are discussed in the plenary after each exercise. Participants may raise questions on their own planned applications throughout the day. Follow-up support is available through the GESIS consulting service on DSA data access.


Target group

You will find the course useful if:
  • you plan to request data from very large online platforms or search engines for your research and want to know which route under the DSA fits your project,
  • you are preparing or revising an application under Article 40(4) or 40(12) and need guidance on its content, the systemic risk framing, and the required documentation,
  • you support such applications at your institution as a research data manager, data protection officer, or IT security officer,
  • you work in the social sciences, communication science, computer science, law, or a related field and study online platforms, their content, users, or recommender systems.


Learning objectives

By the end of the course, you will:
  • understand the structure of Article 40 DSA and be able to choose between Articles 40(4) and 40(12) for a given research question,
  • know the application procedure, the actors involved (Digital Services Coordinators, European Commission, platforms), the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/2050, the EU Data Access Portal and the processing timelines, be able to frame a research question in terms of systemic risks (Article 34) or risk mitigation measures (Article 35),
  • be able to specify data types, variables, aggregation levels, and time frames against platform data catalogues,
  • know which data protection and security documentation an application requires (Data Management Plan, Data Protection Impact Assessment, technical and organisational measures) and which institutional actors to involve,
  • have discussed the content and framing of the core parts of an application on a concrete example, be prepared to draft your own application and know where to obtain further support.


Prerequisites

  • Basic familiarity with empirical social science research design (research questions, hypotheses, data and methods) and with social media or online platform research.
  • A concrete project idea involving platform data is an advantage but not required. Participants without their own project work on a prepared example case.
  • No legal background, no programming skills, and no prior experience with DSA applications are required.
  • Reading of the preparatory literature listed below is recommended.
 
Software and hardware requirements
No statistical or programming software is used. Participants need a computer with a stable internet connection, webcam, and microphone for Zoom, including breakout rooms, and a current web browser to access the public pages of the EU Data Access Portal and the platform data catalogues. Group work takes place in shared online documents provided by the lecturers. Participants who intend to submit an application under Article 40(4) are encouraged to create an EU Login account before the workshop (https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/cas).


Schedule

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