TikTok updates its Developer Terms to introduce Commercial Content Library access, clarify research purposes, and reorganize core definitions

TikTok updated its Developer Terms of Service with targeted but consequential revisions that clarified access conditions, introduced a new data category tied to the EU Digital Services Act, and restructured core definitions governing developer use of TikTok services.

The update strengthens the acceptance clause by replacing permissive language with an explicit prohibition. Where the prior version stated that users who do not agree to the terms should not access the Developer Services, the revised text now states that users who do not agree are not permitted to access or use them. This change sharpens the contractual boundaries around consent and access.

TikTok also introduces a new defined dataset, “CCL Data,” referring to advertising and commercial content made available through the Commercial Content Library API. Alongside this, the company adds a new definition of “CCL Purposes,” explicitly framing the use of this data as supporting supervision and research into risks associated with online advertising, including illegal ads, manipulation, and disinformation with foreseeable impacts on public health, security, civic discourse, political participation, and equality. The Commercial Content Library API itself is newly defined and explicitly linked to Article 39 of the EU Digital Services Act, signaling alignment with statutory transparency obligations.

In addition, the Definitions section is reorganized and renumbered without materially changing the substance of most existing terms. Definitions for Developer Content, End Users, TikTok API, Developer Documentation, Developer Services, Sample Code, SDKs, TikTok Services, and TikTok Information are reinserted in a revised order, with minor wording adjustments but no substantive expansion of rights or obligations.

Overall, the changes do not broaden developer permissions but instead formalize a compliance-oriented data access pathway tied to EU law, clarify enforcement language around acceptance of the terms, and structurally reorganize definitions to accommodate the newly introduced Commercial Content Library framework.