The case for open data access to aid tech regulation

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This year, Congress passed a law forcing ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to sell the app within a year or face a potential shutdown. However, there is speculation that the incoming Trump administration could reverse the ban, even though the first Trump administration originally raised the idea of a ban, and his potential cabinet picks remain divided on the decision. Proponents of the law argue that the platform poses real threats to U.S. national security and consumer privacy. In this article, we discuss three potential data access pathways researchers could use to study TikTok in the U.S., highlighting the challenges of each approach. Taken together, this analysis aims to emphasize current challenges for researchers studying social platforms, how a lack of research can lead to under-informed policy debates, and what can be done to provide better, open data access for researchers to answer pressing questions about platforms like TikTok and for policymakers pursuing new legislation.


The case for open data access to aid tech regulation