The new TikTok operation in the United States, managed by a majority American investor group sanctioned during the Trump administration, has faced a turbulent introduction. The widely used video-sharing platform suffered multiple days of service irregularities that impeded normal user functions. Despite widespread online speculation suggesting the Trump-aligned joint venture might be deliberately restricting critical content, TikTok maintains its operational issues result from technical failures rather than deliberate censorship.
On Tuesday morning, TikTok reported making "significant progress" toward restoring full service across its platform, yet acknowledged that users could encounter ongoing technical difficulties, especially when uploading new material. These developments have fueled political scrutiny, prompting Democratic leaders to call for formal inquiries into the platform’s content moderation practices.
California Governor Gavin Newsom publicly announced on Monday night that he is initiating a review to determine whether TikTok's US operations are unlawfully censoring content critical of former President Trump. Newsom’s office released a statement confirming it had received and independently verified reports indicating suppression of Trump-critical posts, warranting examination by California's Attorney General Rob Bonta to assess compliance with state legislation.
Other Democrats have leveraged the controversy to highlight concerns about TikTok's altered ownership structure. Following Congressional requirements and negotiations brokered by the Trump administration, a consortium primarily composed of American investors assumed control of TikTok’s user data and much of its US operations in the previous week. Among the key stakeholders is Oracle, a technology company headed by Larry Ellison, recognized for close ties to Trump. This consortium possesses approximately 80% ownership of the new US-focused entity, while ByteDance, headquartered in Beijing, retains the remaining stake.
Criticism of this restructured ownership revolves around fears that the new American investors may pivot TikTok’s content policies toward favoring Trump and Republican interests in forthcoming election cycles. Skepticism is heightened given recent changes observed in other social platforms acquired by politically motivated owners — exemplified by Elon Musk’s acquisition and transformation of Twitter into "X."
Over the weekend, several prominent TikTok users, including celebrities like Billie Eilish, reported that their videos critiquing Trump’s immigration policies were mysteriously stuck in "review" or failed to garner expected viewership. Among the affected content was coverage of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, a case that generated significant public outrage and viral attention across social media. These occurrences amplified longstanding concerns over potential platform interference in politically sensitive content.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy added to the discourse by emphasizing the gravity of such interference threats to democratic processes, underscoring the issue on his social media channels as a top priority among current risks to public discourse.
Responding to these allegations, TikTok attributed the underlying cause to a power outage at one of its data centers, which led to a "cascading systems failure." The company pledged a steadfast commitment to swiftly restore the platform to full functionality, expressing gratitude for user patience and promising ongoing updates.
Additional user reports highlighted anomalies such as being unable to transmit certain words, for example, "Epstein," via direct messages. Prompted by numerous complaints, a TikTok representative clarified to NPR that there are no existing prohibitions against sharing that term and that an internal investigation into the issue was underway.
The emerging TikTok controversy presents a contrast to previous conservative claims of "deplatforming" and "shadowbanning" experienced during the Biden administration. Notably, some of those allegations were substantiated, others overstated, and some unfounded — yet collectively they coalesced into a potent political narrative that mobilized certain voter segments.
At this juncture, the TikTok platform’s technical difficulties and concurrent suspicions about content suppression underscore ongoing challenges faced by social media companies navigating politically charged environments. Stakeholders remain vigilant to ensure that technological faults are clearly delineated from deliberate content control, while officials pursue investigations to uphold transparency and compliance with legal standards.