Now, a wider range of researchers will be able to study TikTok more closely, but access to the API is still controlled by the company. Research proposals require approval by TikTok’s US Data Security division, and academics must adhere to terms of service to use the API. The company says it will expand access to its research API to more regions and nonprofit researchers “in the coming months.”detailed the complicated relationship between TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance.
Since then, scrutiny has only intensified as TikTok has tried to prove it isn’t a threat to national security: the app has been banned from government-issued phones belonging to members of the House of Representatives, and similar restrictions have spread to states and other federal agencies. In December, ByteDancejournalists in an attempt to unearth the source of leaks coming from inside the company. Several employees were fired or resigned as a result.