Users on TikTok are raising concerns about the platform’s new American owners allegedly censoring political content. This includes posts regarding the shooting of Alex Pretty in Minneapolis and mentions of Epstein.
The hashtag #TikTokCensorship gained traction on Sunday as creators reported that a video discussing the political strife in Minneapolis garnered significantly fewer views than expected, alongside lengthy upload delays.
In a statement on Monday, TikTok’s U.S. management explained that they are working through major technical difficulties stemming from a power outage at one of their data centers.
“You might encounter various bugs, slow loading times, and issues like request timeouts when uploading new content,” they added. “Some creators may see their videos with 0 views or likes, but it’s just a display error.”
This marks a challenging beginning for TikTok’s new U.S. operations. After prolonged threats of a ban, the platform announced last week that it had finalized arrangements for American ownership.
While China-based ByteDance retains a 19.9% share, U.S. investors—including Larry Ellison’s Oracle—together own 15% each, along with other international investors.
California Governor Gavin Newsom took to social media late Monday, indicating that his office has “independently confirmed instances” of TikTok censoring content critical of Donald Trump.
A White House representative stated that “TikTok plays no role in content moderation.”
Artist Billie Eilish echoed similar sentiments on Instagram, claiming TikTok is “silencing people” after her brother, Finneas O’Connell, noted a drop in views on a video he shared about Pretty’s fatal shooting.
“Shut up! You’ve been telling us for 30 years that our children must die so we can legally carry weapons across America,” O’Connell expressed in the widely viewed video.
Megan Stalter, a star from “Hacks,” announced her decision to delete her TikTok account on Instagram, urging others to join her in protest against the platform’s new management. She shared her frustration about being unable to upload content, even when attempting to disguise it as comedy.
Meanwhile, her latest TikTok posts received no views, contrasting sharply with her previous content that had attracted considerable attention.
The protests in Minneapolis intensified after federal agents shot and killed Renee Nicole Good and Alex Preti during recent demonstrations.
A spokesperson for TikTok’s joint venture noted that videos related to the shooting have been publicly available since the incident occurred.
Some users have also reported that the app is censoring the term “Epstein” in direct messages, providing screenshots of error messages claiming these did not adhere to TikTok’s community guidelines.
A representative stated they are looking into the issue affecting users discussing “Epstein” in direct messages.
Although thousands of documents related to the “Epstein files” have been shared by the Justice Department and House of Representatives, many remain undisclosed.
