TikTok accused of censoring Trump criticism, Minneapolis shooting videos
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- TikTok faces accusations of limiting posts criticizing Trump and Minneapolis shootings.
- Users report low views or delayed publication; platform blames technical glitch.
TikTok is facing widespread accusations from users claiming the platform deliberately restricted or suppressed videos covering the recent Minneapolis shooting by federal immigration officers.
The Washington Post reported that affected posts received very few views or remained unpublished for hours amid broader technical issues. California Governor Gavin Newsom said he independently verified cases of content criticizing President Donald Trump being removed, though TikTok attributed the problem to a “technical malfunction”.
Read more: Trump says ICE had to “protect themselves” after Minneapolis shooting
The incident involved federal officers fatally shooting 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last Saturday, near the site where Renee Goude, 37, had been killed on January 7. Daily protests have followed both incidents. Democratic Governor Tim Walz urged Trump to withdraw thousands of federal immigration officers, whom he described as violent and untrained. Trump claimed Pretti was armed with a loaded weapon and two extra magazines.
The controversy comes shortly after TikTok’s parent company, China’s ByteDance, completed a deal to establish a new US-majority joint venture, resolving a multi-year legal and political dispute and averting an imminent US ban.
Read more: Trump attempts to pivot in face of Minneapolis killing backlash
High-profile users, including singer Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell, reported that videos criticizing federal authorities received unusually low views or were put “under review” for extended periods.
TikTok said a “cascading system failure” caused by a power outage at a US data center affected posting and viewing functions generally, not targeting specific content.
Experts told Washington Post that the episode highlights TikTok’s challenge under US ownership: managing politically sensitive content while maintaining trust among its young audience. Similar accusations have been faced by other tech giants like Meta and YouTube, reflecting broader transparency concerns in digital content management during political crises.
Observers warn that if censorship claims are accurate, the implications go beyond domestic content moderation to potential foreign influence on US social media.
