The prestigious journal Science interviewed Francesco Pierri, a researcher of the Data Science Group at the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering - Politecnico di Milano, on the topic of online misinformation.
Pierri, already known for his important studies on the influence of misinformation on critical issues such as immigration and vaccines — works also cited in the 2023 Economic Report of the President of the United States — highlighted the growing difficulties in conducting similar research following Elon Musk's acquisition of the platform X, which removed free data access. This restriction has halted the ability to carry out new studies comparable to those in the past.
At the end of 2023, with the upcoming European elections, Pierri had planned to conduct an analysis on a European scale, but encountered obstacles precisely due to the lack of data access. Through his statement, Pierri emphasizes the crucial importance of transparent data access to allow scholars to analyze online misinformation, a phenomenon that has a profound impact on the political and social decisions of millions of citizens.
Read the full interview.