TikTok has recently tweaked how its hashtag links work, leading to a significant shift in how trend popularity is measured. For TikTok marketers, this means you can’t search for specific hashtags using the Creative Center tools anymore. This is a big deal because it’s going to be tougher to keep track of what’s hot and what’s not on TikTok, which is a key part of planning a successful campaign.

TikTok has disabled links for hashtags connected to sensitive topics like the Israel-Hamas conflict and U.S. politics in the Creative Center. Plus, they’ve removed the search button altogether. Instead, TikTok is now focusing on providing data about the top 100 hashtags across various industries, such as pets and travel.

But why this sudden change? TikTok decided to limit its hashtag search feature due to concerns that the data was being misused, especially in unveiling potential censorship on the platform. This decision comes in the wake of intense scrutiny by researchers and lawmakers, who were using the tool to investigate content related to geopolitics and the Israel-Hamas war.