Camilla Jessen
TikTok denies censoring anti-ICE videos
Over the weekend, a wave of TikTok users said they were unable to upload videos criticizing US immigration enforcement.
The complaints emerged just days after TikTok’s US operations changed hands, fueling suspicion among creators already uneasy about the platform’s future.
Uploads fail
Comedian Megan Stalter, who has hundreds of thousands of followers across TikTok and Instagram, said she tried repeatedly to upload a video urging Christians to oppose ICE raids in Minneapolis. The video referenced the killing of Alex Pretti, a nurse shot by a federal immigration agent or agents that day.
“We have to abolish ICE,” Stalter said in the video. “I truly, truly believe that is exactly what Jesus would do.”
The clip spread widely on Instagram, where it was reposted more than 12,000 times. But it never appeared on TikTok. Stalter later said she deleted her TikTok account, believing she was being censored.
Other users reported similar problems posting ICE-related content.
Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy weighed in online, calling the alleged censorship one of the biggest “threats to democracy.” CNN has contacted his office.
TikTok responds
TikTok said the upload issues were caused by a power outage at a US data center, which slowed video uploads and recommendations. A spokesperson for TikTok US Joint Venture told CNN the problems were “unrelated to last week’s news.”
On Tuesday, the company said it had made “significant progress” restoring service, though some users may still face delays when uploading videos.
The disruption followed the transfer of TikTok’s US assets to a majority American-owned joint venture, a deal backed by the Trump administration under a 2024 law.
Oracle, whose executive chair Larry Ellison is allied with President Donald Trump, is among the new investors. TikTok says the new entity controls content moderation and stores US data in a secure domestic cloud.
Trust and doubt
Even without proof of censorship, skepticism is understandable, said Casey Fiesler, an associate professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
“There’s not a lot of trust in the leadership of social media platforms in general,” she told CNN, citing the platform’s new political ties.
Nurse and author Jen Hamilton, who has more than 4.5 million TikTok followers, said several of her ICE-related videos failed to upload after the ownership change.
“It was very ironic,” she said, adding she had no proof of targeted censorship.
Opaque systems
Jeffrey Blevins, a University of Cincinnati professor who studies media law, said proving censorship would be extremely difficult due to TikTok’s opaque algorithms.
As a private company, he noted, TikTok is legally allowed to limit content.
Despite the frustration, some creators are adapting rather than leaving. Hamilton said she now speaks in coded language on the app.
“Fashion influencing is in my blood,” she said in one successful upload, while displaying an image connected to her earlier, blocked video.
Sources: CNN
