Twitter Inc. said today that it will grant academic researchers full access to its archive of tweets so they can better understand user behavior and what topics people discuss.

Academics have been able for some years now to access some of the company’s archive, but Twitter said it hasn’t always been easy for researchers to find the data they need. The new API platform will allow them to access the entire history of conversations for free, although data from suspended and banned accounts won’t be available, including from the suspended account of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Over two years ago, we started our own extensive research to better understand the needs, constraints and challenges that researchers have when studying the public conversation,” Twitter said in a blog post. “In October 2020, we tested this product track in a private beta program where we gathered additional feedback. This gave us a glimpse into some of the important work that the free Academic Research product track we’re launching today can now enable.”

Twitter along with Facebook Inc. have for years now been criticized for the spread of misinformation and hate speech on their platforms, and they’ve also come under the spotlight for not allowing researchers to analyze such content. It seems now Twitter has offered an olive branch to those researchers, although since banned accounts aren’t accessible, that’s a treasure trove researchers won’t get.

There’s an application procedure for anyone who wants to study the data within the “Academic Research product track.” Applicants won’t only need to prove they are at least a master’s student or faculty at an institution. They also will need to outline their objectives and how they intend to analyze the information. Commercial use of the data is strictly verboten. A “Standard product track” is also available for people who don’t meet those requirements.

If all requirements are met, Twitter will now give a monthly Tweet volume cap of 10 million to those on the Academic Research product track, which is 20 times higher than what was available to anyone in the past. Precise filtering capabilities will also be available, as will guides to help academics with their research.

Photo: Christiaan Botha/Flickr