U.S. TikTok servers went down for roughly 12 hours over the weekend, starting on the night of January 18. American users are now reporting a spike in censorship of political commentary and criticism since the app has been back up and running in the States, raising major red flags.
While TikTok has been known to censor some terms, particularly regarding topics like sex and murder, many see a noticeable and concerning shift taking place when it comes to how users are permitted to speak about politics. Since the app was restored in the States, countless TikTokers in the U.S. have spoken out about creator fund cutbacks, reported that videos and comments are being flagged and taken down, and warned Americans on the app can no longer use certain hashtags or see search results for terms like “fascism,” “Hitler,” or “Nazi Germany.”
In searching widely censored terms myself, I got a full page of results for “fascism,” while searches for “Hitler” or “Nazi Germany” got me the same automated messages other have received, encouraging users to verify facts and use credible sources when seeking information about the Holocaust’s “legacy.” (Although “legacy” is a neutral term that can be used to refer to both the positive and negative impacts of an event, it does carry a largely positive connotation which seems notably off in this context.)
Some users have reported that their own results have not been censored in this way. Meanwhile, others aren’t even getting search suggestions containing these terms. While it remains unclear why that is, TikTokers outside the U.S. say increased censorship seems to remain an issue specific to the app’s American user base.
Perhaps the most jarring detail of all amid talks of censorship concerns is that some apparent changes started rolling out prior to the app’s “ban” on Saturday night. On the day of, posts containing critique of Donald Trump or Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in particular, were flagged and removed. Posts that have been similarly censored also began to trigger a pop-up when TikTokers attempted to send videos to multiple users at once, warning of the spread of misinformation and stating the video could not be sent to more than one user. Some say censored topics include those as benign as gay rights and abortion, and American users have continued to receive these warnings since the app’s return on Jan. 19.
Aside from the apparent censorship of politicized terms, users in the States have also pointed out a strange change to the results that appear when you search for Taylor Swift’s song “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” among others. The track from Swift’s album “The Tortured Poets Department” has been used in thousands of posts critiquing President Donald Trump and his policies and voicing upset about Trump’s re-election, especially among women. However, when you search for the song on the app today, you will now see many results that substitute the word “man” with “woman.”
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has since addressed widespread censorship concerns in video statements on Instagram and TikTok. Many have looked to the member of Congress for guidance since Trump’s re-election, and she hasn’t sugarcoated what she sees happening. In the same way that lawmakers expressed that TikTok is being used as a “propaganda tool” for the Chinese government, Ocasio-Cortez now warns our own government will use the app as such a tool for the political right following the announcement of an agreement with Trump, and it’s already begun.
Published: Jan 21, 2025 07:59 am