Get access
Meta is partnering with the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan to vet applications and assist in onboarding to Meta Content Library and API.
Eligibility requirements
To be eligible for product access, researchers must be affiliated with a qualified academic institution or a qualified research institution. Researchers from different disciplinary and professional backgrounds are welcome to apply.
For academic institutions, qualified means the institution meets all of the following criteria. It is:
Dedicated to the pursuit of education and research.
Accredited, as indicated by recognized standards and evidence on the institution's website (such as a university), or as demonstrated by documentation provided to ICPSR.
Qualified to grant academic degrees (such as undergraduate, graduate, doctoral).
A not-for-profit endeavor (in other words, not a business whose sole purpose is to make a profit).
For research institutions, qualified means the institution is a non-university organization, institute, or society/entity which operates as a not-for-profit entity and holds scientific or public interest research as a primary purpose or core activity.
Application and access process
Step 1: Review application requirements and submit an application.
To help ensure a fair and independent application and evaluation process, Meta has partnered with the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) based at the University of Michigan, to assess researcher qualifications and review submissions from global applicants. You can find an overview of the application process and data tools on ICPSR’s Social Media Archive (SOMAR). We also encourage you to familiarize yourself with the Meta Content Library application page on the SOMAR site and ICPSR’s application guide before applying.
ICPSR will notify Meta and the applicant if the application is approved. Researchers can expect the review process to take between four and six weeks.
Step 2: Fulfill additional data access requirements.
The Meta Content Library API is available for researchers to access on ICPSR’s Virtual Data Enclave. A Data Use Agreement between ICPSR and your institution must be executed before you are granted access to the platform. More information about ICPSR’s requirements can be found in ICPSR’s application guide.
Meta will follow up with approved researchers with information on how to access and onboard to the Meta Content Library user interface (UI). The UI can be used separately or in conjunction with the Content Library API.
Step 3: Gain access.
Access to Meta Content Library and Content Library API will be provisioned once all access requirements are fulfilled. In order to continue accessing the tools, you will need to recertify your affiliation with your institution and research project on an annual basis.
Frequently asked questions about access, eligibility, and publication
Are global researchers eligible for access to Content Library and API?
We welcome global researchers, but access to or use of our tools and data must comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations. In addition, the researcher applicant, and any academic university or institution with which the applicant is affiliated, must not be in a jurisdiction that is the target of sanctions imposed by the United States, United Kingdom, European Union or United Nations.
Do researchers have to pay to access Content Library and API?
No. There are no fees associated with access or computation.
Do researchers have to reapply for access if they change their research topic or proposal?
If the researcher has made any substantive changes to their research topic, proposal or research ethics documentation since having their application approved by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), they must reapply for access.
Do global researchers affiliated with institutions not in the United States still need to apply through ICPSR?
Yes. All Content Library and API researcher applications are processed and reviewed by ICPSR.
How does the application and access process work for researchers who collaborate together or as part of a larger research team?
ICPSR will process and review applications from teams of researchers with a clearly identified research lead and collaborators. For more information please reference the ICPSR application page.
Does Meta place any restrictions on how I can publish with data from the Meta Content Library and API?
Researchers may publish Research Outputs (such as tables, graphs, and analysis), but may not publish any Confidential Information or Personal Data. For publications based solely on Content Library and/or API, Meta will not ask to review research manuscripts prior to publication. However, we ask that researchers follow Meta’s attribution guidelines (see Citations) and provide notice upon publishing.
Please refer to the Product Terms for Meta Research Tools for the requirements and conditions related to publication.