TikTok Introduces Groundbreaking API for Data Portability, Prior to Europe’s DMA Compliance Deadline

TikTok is introducing a data portability API to help it comply with new European regulations designed to rein in Big Tech’s market dominance through various obligations and restrictions. Data transfersData portability and interoperability constitutes a major part of the DMA regulations, and tech companies have been bolstering their efforts on this front for several years in preparation. Thus the data portability API goes some way toward addressing that limitation, allowing third-party developers to build conduits for data to travel from TikTok to their own apps — if the user authorizes this. Through the API, developers can request access to “all available data,” or individual categories including TikTok posts and profile data, activity, and direct messages (DMs). The data portability API is available to applicants globally, but the developer must be able to demonstrate a “well-defined use case” before they will be approved.

TikTok has announced the introduction of a data portability API to ensure compliance with new European regulations aimed at curbing Big Tech’s market dominance through various obligations and restrictions.

The European Union (EU) has designated six tech companies as “gatekeepers” last September, including TikTok parent Bytedance, under the regulatory radar alongside Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft. Though TikTok/Bytedance is currently disputing its gatekeeper status, arguing that it is a challenger rather than an incumbent, it still has to adhere to the Digital Markets Act (DMA) obligations, which become effective on March 6.

Data transfers

Data portability and interoperability form an important part of the DMA regulations, and tech companies have been ramping up their efforts in this field for a few years now in preparation. TikTok had already allowed users to download a copy of their posts and request a copy of their data to use on other platforms, but this process was static and did not take into account the constantly changing nature of data.

The new data portability API aims to address this limitation by allowing third-party developers to create conduits for transferring data from TikTok to their own apps, with the user’s authorization. This feature can be set up for one-time or recurring transfers and seeks to break away from the “walled garden” approach commonly associated with traditional social networks.

Developers can use the API to request access to “all available data” or specific categories such as TikTok posts, profile data, activity, and direct messages (DMs).

The data portability API is available to developers globally, but they need to demonstrate a “well-defined use case” for their request to be approved. Additionally, the API is only applicable to users from the European Economic Area (EEA), so developers must also be able to distinguish their target market regionally.

Besides the API, TikTok has also refreshed its main ‘download your data’ tool, giving users the option to choose which categories of data they want to download, such as DMs or posts. The update will roll out first in the EEA, with plans to make it available globally in the future.

Avatar photo
Dylan Williams

Dylan Williams is a multimedia storyteller with a background in video production and graphic design. He has a knack for finding and sharing unique and visually striking stories from around the world.

Articles: 874

96 Comments

  1. May I just say what a relief to find somebody who truly knows what they are discussing on the web. You certainly understand how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people really need to look at this and understand this side of your story. It’s surprising you aren’t more popular because you surely have the gift.

  2. I would like to thank you for the efforts you have put in writing this blog. I really hope to see the same high-grade content from you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my very own site now 😉

  3. I’m impressed, I must say. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s both educative and interesting, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The issue is something that not enough folks are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy I found this during my hunt for something relating to this.

  4. Can I simply say what a relief to uncover someone that actually understands what they are talking about online. You definitely know how to bring a problem to light and make it important. A lot more people have to look at this and understand this side of your story. It’s surprising you aren’t more popular given that you most certainly possess the gift.

  5. Howdy! I could have sworn I’ve visited this web site before but after going through many of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Regardless, I’m certainly happy I discovered it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back regularly!

  6. I truly love your website.. Pleasant colors & theme. Did you develop this amazing site yourself? Please reply back as I’m looking to create my own personal site and would like to know where you got this from or just what the theme is named. Appreciate it!

  7. After checking out a number of the blog posts on your web site, I truly appreciate your technique of blogging. I saved it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back in the near future. Please visit my web site as well and tell me your opinion.

  8. I’m impressed, I must say. Rarely do I encounter a blog that’s equally educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The issue is an issue that too few folks are speaking intelligently about. I’m very happy I found this in my hunt for something regarding this.

  9. Spot on with this write-up, I seriously feel this amazing site needs a lot more attention. I’ll probably be back again to read more, thanks for the information.

  10. Having read this I thought it was very enlightening. I appreciate you taking the time and energy to put this short article together. I once again find myself spending way too much time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile.

  11. I’m amazed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a blog that’s both educative and amusing, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The issue is something too few people are speaking intelligently about. Now i’m very happy I came across this in my hunt for something relating to this.

  12. Greetings, I do believe your blog could be having browser compatibility problems. Whenever I look at your website in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping issues. I just wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Other than that, wonderful website!

  13. I seriously love your website.. Pleasant colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself? Please reply back as I’m planning to create my own website and want to find out where you got this from or just what the theme is called. Appreciate it.

  14. May I simply just say what a comfort to discover an individual who genuinely knows what they are discussing on the net. You actually know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people ought to read this and understand this side of the story. I was surprised you’re not more popular because you certainly possess the gift.

  15. Hi, I do think this is a great site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I will revisit yet again since I book-marked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide others.

  16. I’m very pleased to discover this great site. I need to to thank you for ones time for this wonderful read!! I definitely liked every little bit of it and I have you saved as a favorite to see new stuff on your blog.

  17. Including Sugar Protector right into my day-to-day program overall health.
    As a person who prioritizes healthy eating, I appreciate the added protection this supplement supplies.
    Given that starting to take it, I have actually discovered a significant enhancement in my power degrees and a significant reduction in my desire for unhealthy treats such a such
    an extensive impact on my daily life.

  18. Can I simply just say what a relief to discover somebody that really understands what they are discussing online. You definitely understand how to bring an issue to light and make it important. A lot more people really need to read this and understand this side of your story. I was surprised you aren’t more popular given that you most certainly have the gift.

  19. Hi there, I believe your web site could be having web browser compatibility problems. When I take a look at your web site in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in I.E., it’s got some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Besides that, wonderful site!

  20. An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a colleague who had been conducting a little research on this. And he in fact bought me lunch simply because I discovered it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending the time to talk about this issue here on your website.

  21. You are so cool! I do not think I’ve read through anything like that before. So good to discover somebody with original thoughts on this subject. Seriously.. thank you for starting this up. This website is one thing that is needed on the web, someone with a bit of originality.

  22. Good day! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with SEO?
    I’m trying to get my site to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good gains.

    If you know of any please share. Appreciate it!
    You can read similar art here: Eco product

  23. Having read this I believed it was really informative. I appreciate you finding the time and energy to put this informative article together. I once again find myself spending a significant amount of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile.

  24. I absolutely love your site.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself? Please reply back as I’m hoping to create my own personal site and would like to learn where you got this from or exactly what the theme is named. Thank you!

  25. Howdy! This post could not be written much better! Looking at this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept talking about this. I will send this post to him. Pretty sure he’s going to have a good read. Many thanks for sharing!

  26. This is the right website for anyone who wants to find out about this topic. You realize so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I personally will need to…HaHa). You certainly put a brand new spin on a subject that has been written about for years. Wonderful stuff, just great.

  27. Hi there, I think your site might be having browser compatibility issues. When I take a look at your website in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in IE, it has some overlapping issues. I simply wanted to give you a quick heads up! Apart from that, great blog!

  28. Having read this I thought it was rather enlightening. I appreciate you spending some time and effort to put this short article together. I once again find myself spending a lot of time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worth it.

  29. Hi there! I simply wish to give you a big thumbs up for your great information you’ve got here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.

  30. Next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesn’t fail me as much as this particular one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read through, but I really believed you would probably have something interesting to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of moaning about something that you could possibly fix if you were not too busy searching for attention.

  31. This is the right webpage for everyone who wants to find out about this topic. You understand a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I actually will need to…HaHa). You certainly put a brand new spin on a subject that’s been discussed for decades. Great stuff, just wonderful.

  32. Aw, this was a very nice post. Taking a few minutes and actual effort to generate a good article… but what can I say… I put things off a lot and never seem to get nearly anything done.

  33. Can I simply just say what a relief to discover somebody who actually understands what they are discussing over the internet. You actually realize how to bring a problem to light and make it important. A lot more people should check this out and understand this side of the story. I was surprised you’re not more popular since you certainly possess the gift.

  34. I seriously love your website.. Very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself? Please reply back as I’m wanting to create my own website and would love to learn where you got this from or just what the theme is named. Thanks.

  35. I truly love your site.. Very nice colors & theme. Did you develop this amazing site yourself? Please reply back as I’m attempting to create my very own website and would like to know where you got this from or what the theme is named. Thanks.

  36. An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on this. And he actually bought me breakfast due to the fact that I stumbled upon it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending the time to talk about this subject here on your web page.

  37. I really love your site.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you make this website yourself? Please reply back as I’m hoping to create my very own website and would love to find out where you got this from or just what the theme is called. Appreciate it!

  38. Hi there, I do think your site might be having internet browser compatibility issues. Whenever I take a look at your website in Safari, it looks fine however, when opening in I.E., it has some overlapping issues. I just wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Besides that, fantastic site!

  39. Having read this I believed it was rather enlightening. I appreciate you taking the time and effort to put this article together. I once again find myself spending a significant amount of time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worth it!

  40. Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It will always be helpful to read through articles from other authors and practice something from their websites.

  41. Hi, I think your website could possibly be having browser compatibility issues. Whenever I look at your site in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it’s got some overlapping issues. I simply wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Besides that, great site!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *