Recent reports in U.S. media and on social platforms surfaced in late January 2026 alleging that TikTok users were experiencing censorship related to the name “Epstein” and other politically sensitive topics. Thousands of users claimed that direct messages containing the word “Epstein” were being blocked or flagged as violations of community guidelines, and some said videos mentioning the Epstein scandal or critical of political figures like President Trump saw suppressed visibility. These complaints emerged shortly after TikTok’s U.S. operations were transferred to a newly formed majority-American joint venture backed in part by Trump-aligned investors, prompting widespread speculation that the platform was intentionally limiting certain content. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a formal review into whether TikTok violated state law by censoring “Trump-critical content,” highlighting screenshots of failed “Epstein” messages and reports of stalled or unseen political videos as part of the evidence base.


TikTok has rejected claims that it is deliberately censoring content or blocking the word “Epstein,” attributing widespread reports of glitches — including blocked messages and low video engagement — to a power outage and cascading systems failures at a U.S. data center rather than to a change in policy or targeted suppression. Independent testing by some outlets and user accounts showed inconsistent behavior, with single-word messages sometimes blocked while the same term used in sentences could go through, complicating claims of systematic censorship. The situation has fueled broader debates over content moderation and platform transparency, with critics warning that algorithmic control could be used — intentionally or otherwise — to limit discussion of high-profile public interest issues, even as TikTok insists the technical problems are being resolved.



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TikTok says power outage behind Epstein, ICE censorship claims for U.S. app