Social media platforms blocked the view into their AI, making transparency rules useless

Major social media platforms like X/Twitter and TikTok have restricted access to their data. This means regulators cannot independently check how these platforms' AI systems moderate content or amplify information, despite laws requiring transparency.

Governments passed laws like the EU Digital Services Act to force social media companies to show how their AI systems work. But these companies are now blocking the technical access needed to do those checks. This creates a paradox: as platforms use more AI, they become less accountable for what that AI does.