The Accountability Paradox: How Platform API Restrictions Undermine AI Transparency Mandates

[Submitted on 16 May 2025 (v1), last revised 12 Jun 2026 (this version, v5)]

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Abstract:Recent application programming interface (API) restrictions on major social media platforms challenge compliance with the EU Digital Services Act [20], which mandates data access for algorithmic transparency. We develop a structured audit framework to assess the growing misalignment between regulatory requirements and platform implementations. Our comparative analysis of X/Twitter, Reddit, TikTok, and Meta identifies critical “audit blind-spots” where platform content moderation and algorithmic amplification remain inaccessible to independent verification. Our findings reveal an “accountability paradox”: as platforms increasingly rely on AI systems, they simultaneously restrict the capacity for independent oversight. We propose targeted policy interventions aligned with the AI Risk Management Framework of the National Institute of Standards and Technology [80], emphasizing federated access models and enhanced regulatory enforcement.

Submission history

From: Florian Burnat [view email]
[v1] Fri, 16 May 2025 14:30:20 UTC (27 KB)
[v2] Wed, 14 Jan 2026 12:16:02 UTC (35 KB)
[v3] Fri, 27 Mar 2026 15:44:19 UTC (50 KB)
[v4] Mon, 11 May 2026 08:25:05 UTC (52 KB)
[v5] Fri, 12 Jun 2026 11:17:40 UTC (66 KB)