TikTok announced on Thursday the launch of its research software for scholars and academics across Europe, in anticipation of the upcoming EU regulations aimed at enhancing oversight of online content by major technology platforms.
The social media platform, which is a subsidiary of the Chinese tech firm ByteDance, is one of 19 digital services and search engines that will need to adhere to stricter guidelines set to take effect in August under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The platform indicated that it is still awaiting the European Commission’s specifications regarding the technical standards for the application programming interface (API) that will provide access to its data. However, the company is proceeding with the rollout.
“TikTok is actively introducing its Research API ahead of additional technical specifications and is also launching a commercial content library prior to the DSA compliance deadline,” the company stated in a recent release.
To access the Research API, researchers are required to create a TikTok for Developers account and must be located in either the United States or Europe.
Earlier this year, TikTok had made an initial version of its Research API available to academic researchers based in the United States.
On the same day, TikTok also provided access to its commercial content API for researchers.
In alignment with DSA requirements for transparency regarding paid advertising, the company has made its database accessible, offering detailed information about advertisements and their associated metadata.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
