Am I being tested? Some American TikTok users say the app feels different after the ban was lifted by Reuters
by Doyinsola Oladipo
NEW YORK (Reuters) – American TikTok users who once saw the app as a place for free speech say they are seeing signs of abuse after the platform owned by China’s ByteDance was revived by an executive order from President Donald Trump.
TikTok users are seeing a difference in the short video app following its revival after it disappeared on Saturday under a new law — passed over national security concerns during the Biden administration with bipartisan support — that requires it to be sold to a US buyer. . Trump has vowed to find a solution to the ban, as there are many buyers in the mix, including people with close ties to the new Republican president.
Users say they’re seeing fewer live streams, and some activity is being removed or flagged for violations of community guidelines, including behavior that was previously allowed.
“Our policies and algorithms have not changed over the weekend,” TikTok said in a statement sent to Reuters. “We are working hard to restore our US operations to normal and expect temporary instability as we restore our services, which may impact TikTok features or user access to the app.”
But some users said they now see more content moderation, such as limited search results, as well as warnings about misinformation and prompts for users to check their sources.
Some say the TikTok was a surprise comment using the phrases “Free Palestine” and “Free Luigi,” a reference to Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing a UnitedHealth (NYSE: ) executive, which was previously cleared.
TikTok said it does not allow content that promotes violence or hate on its platform.
On Monday, Trump signed an executive order that he said aims to restore free speech and end censorship, specifically targeting social media.
Content creator, comedian and veteran Pat Loller, 36, said a funny video he created shaking billionaire Elon Musk’s hand at an inauguration ceremony that appeared to some as a Nazi salute has been flagged as a fake name. Loller was then limited in how much he could share the video, which received more than a million views.
“I’ve never seen this before, and it’s still there. It says ‘sharing is limited to one conversation at a time,'” said Loller, who has 1.3 million followers.
Trump on Tuesday said he was open to Musk, who is a close friend of the president and helps oversee his new government efficiency program, buying TikTok, if he wants to do so.
TikTok user Lisa Cline said on Meta (NASDAQ:)’s Threads that she had issues with posting a video on TikTok criticizing Trump.
“I tried to send this six times to TikTok and it wouldn’t let me because of testing, so here it goes hopefully it will work here,” said Cline. The video addressed Trump’s response to Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde after she asked him, during the opening prayer service at Washington’s National Cathedral, to show mercy to people who are “fearful.”
Dansha Carter, 27, said her account, which has 2 million followers, was permanently suspended shortly after TikTok went black on Saturday. He was told it was due to “repeated policy violations” when he tried to log in after the ban was lifted.
“This was very politically motivated,” said Carter, a political and social analyst, who said TikTok would not elaborate on its decision, which he said was final. His last live broadcast called out wealthy tech executives for their influence on the US presidential campaign and US businesses.
Others said they were flagged for non-political comments, raising concerns about users being targeted for other things including ownership or previous content.
Ada “Mila” Ortiz, a data analyst and content creator, said she received the strikes after leaving innocent comments on some videos, with a warning that further violations would prevent her from accessing certain features.
“It came out of nowhere and I thought they wanted to get me out of here,” he said. Ortiz has since removed about 15 videos that were pro-Vice President Kamala Harris and anti-Trump.
