Monitoring of researchers by the AdTech industry

Question for written answer  E-006851/2020
to the Commission
Rule 138
Engin Eroglu (Renew)

A growing number of major scientific publishers, including renowned European publishers such as Elsevier or SpringerNature, record the information behaviour of scientists through the AdTech industry, virtually rendering the monitoring of research a commodity. It has been clear for some time that major scientific publishers are turning away from publishing and turning to the business of data analytics. This not only represents an encroachment on scientific freedom but also directly endangers people by robbing public spending on research of its value because commercial operators are able to find out what university researchers are working on at any given moment.

This is described in detail in an article of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung[1].

• 1.What possibilities does the Commission see to stop this monitoring, or at least to keep it within strict limits?
• 2.In what way is this issue going to be addressed in the planned platform regulation, for example in the forthcoming Platform Act (Digital Single Market Act)?
• 3.What measures has the Commission already adopted to regulate the oligopoly of science publishers?

• [1] https://zeitung.faz.net/faz/geisteswissenschaften/2020-12-02/auf-einmal-laborratte/539535.html