Hello,

The so-called “impossible” has happened! It was widely believed that YouTube was too big and too powerful to change its behaviour in response to public pressure. But we didn't accept that.

Following years of campaigning, research, and policy advocacy by Mozilla, YouTube has announced it will share data with researchers. This change, as part of the platform's required compliance of the European Union's Digital Services Act, will provide independent researchers with critical public data — data that will allow the outside world to better understand how to stop YouTube from recommending dangerous and harmful content.

This victory belongs to hundreds of thousands of Mozilla supporters – to the people who:

• Donated their data to RegretsReporter, our browser extension that helped aggregate YouTube recommendations for researchers and that has been influential in shaping the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) regulation;
• Shared their stories of how their lives and wellbeing had been impacted by YouTube’s recommendations; and
• Signed petitions and chipped in to support multiple fronts of our campaigning work that made this victory possible.

It's a result of long-term movement building work — the exact type of work that is made possible by the continued support of Mozilla supporters. And it's a result of our work with dozens of organisations that supported our recommendations for public data sharing under the DSA. And wins like these prove that together, the Mozilla community is capable of taking on globally dominant platforms like YouTube — and winning.

So, can you donate $25 to support Mozilla’s non-profit work? Your donation will go towards our collective effort to reclaim the internet and will power campaign victories, just like this one with YouTube.

For too long, YouTube’s algorithm has been a black box, capable of radicalising and polarising users, but incapable of allowing outside scrutiny. People have been routinely exposed to misinformation, developed unhealthy body images, and became trapped in bizarre rabbit holes.

In the end, YouTube’s decision to open up their data to independent researchers was required by the new EU Digital Services Act. It was made possible by a particular regulation that made the sharing of real-time public data mandatory for very large online platforms. Mozilla convened experts and advised EU policymakers on how to design these requirements. In particular, we stressed the importance of allowing civil society researchers to access this data.

Thanks to these changes, independent researchers will now have access to YouTube data in order to investigate societal risks of the platform. For instance, they will be able to monitor how YouTube’s recommendations algorithm works, which will help them suggest steps to curb harmful content. And now regulators and approved research groups will be able to see what’s been happening. 

Today, we are all celebrating this win. But our fight to reclaim the internet from irresponsible tech is far from over. Now, Mozilla will watch YouTube closely, along with the other 18 designated platforms under the DSA, to check that they properly adhere to these new data sharing rules — and to ensure that this new data results in impactful research to improve the health of the Internet. And Mozilla will never stop fighting for a healthier internet.

Donate $25 — or whatever amount you can today — to fund more wins like this one and to continue the fight to reclaim the internet. An internet where big tech is held accountable and individual users have real agency online — an internet made possible because you are a part of the Mozilla community.

Thanks for everything you do for the internet.

Michael Whitney

Director, Digital Engagement
Mozilla