Better Access: A Framework for Accessing High-Influence Public Platform Data

by Dr Leticia Bode (Georgetown University), Peter Chapman (Knight-Georgetown Institute)

Friday 20 Mar 2026, 14:00 → 15:30 Europe/Berlin

online

Online platforms and services shape what we know, how we connect, and who gets heard, but the ability to study these posts and content at scale has steadily diminished. Platforms restrict researcher access while public data is increasingly monetized for advertisers, data brokers, and training artificial intelligence (AI) systems. This imbalance – where companies profit while independent researchers are left in the dark – undermines transparency, limits free expression, and weakens oversight.

That is the reason for developing Better Access, a baseline framework for independent access to high-influence public platform data: the narrow slice of public platform data that has the greatest impact on civic life due to its reach, source, or role in shaping what people see online. 
Based on what a typical user might reasonably expect to be public, the framework defines the kinds of high-influence public platform data that researchers should be able to ethically use in their work. This definition sets a floor, not a ceiling.

The Better Access framework identifies categories of high-influence public platform data, emphasizes that what data is influential varies dramatically across contexts, and describes overlapping access mechanisms to ensure data is accessible and usable.

The framework provides a clear path forward, offering a critical roadmap to ensure independent access to this crucial data that provides a window into what information is shaping the digital sphere and public discourse.

Speakers

Dr. Leticia Bode is a professor in the Communication, Culture, and Technology program at Georgetown University, and the inaugural research director at the Knight-Georgetown Institute. Her work explores the role communication technologies play in the acquisition and use of political and health information.

 

 

Peter Chapman is Associate Director at the Knight-Georgetown Institute, where he works across platform governance and design. An attorney, he has extensive experience on responsible technology, human rights, and governance across civil society, academia, and industry.