Once a fortress of free expression, TikTok now faces accusations of censorship from U.S. users. The reason is obvious to them as they believe the platform, owned by China’s ByteDance, has changed its tune since being revived by the executive order from the President.
After a dramatic shutdown and a forced sale to a U.S. buyer, TikTok is back online. But users are noticing changes – is this the same app they knew before?
Trump was on a mission to shatter the ban, and the race is on! Some of the contenders have close ties to the newly elected Republican president, which does nothing more than just adding fuel to the already fiery situation.
Livestreams are decreasing in numbers, and user activity is being either flagged or removed at an alarming rate. Even actions that were once acceptable now fall foul of stricter community guidelines – which is why the users are getting the feeling of being censored and hence confused.
The company acknowledged service disruptions on Tuesday, assuring users they’re working hard to get everything back to normal. According to this update, U.S. TikTokkers might find their favorite features glitching or even missing!
However, users are experiencing a more twist on the entire platform. They feel like the platform has stepped up its content moderation game! Because currently, they are encountering more limited search results, prominent misinformation warnings, and helpful prompts encouraging them to verify their sources.
Some claimed TikTok was striking comments that used phrases like “Free Palestine” and “Free Luigi,” a reference to Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing a UnitedHealth executive, which had been previously allowed.
For example, some TikTok users confirmed that the feeling of censorship is not vogus. Because now the platform tried to silence voices that dared to utter phrases like “Free Palestine” and “Free Luigi.” The latter referred to Luigi Mangione, accused of taking the life of a UnitedHealth executive. Ironically, these very phrases had once flowed freely on the platform. All this poses the question of whether TikTok is shifting its stance on free speech.
Monday marked a potential turning point for online freedom as the president signed an executive order promising to dismantle censorship. He targeted to bring back the full power of free speech on social media.
Pat Loller, a 36-year-old content creator and comedian, thought he was making a funny video about Elon Musk’s hand gesture. Instead, he got slapped with a misinformation tag! Loller’s video was a viral sensation waiting to happen, but restrictions set into work.Yet, it still managed to break free and amass over a million views.
Loller, who commands an audience of 1.3 million followers, revealed that he has never encountered such ‘one chat at a time’ restriction before. He’s questioning the situation suspecting it to be an attempt to silence him.
Elon Musk is teaming up with the president to revolutionize government efficiency. But that’s not all – some are speculating that he might even have the power to bring TikTok under his control.