The popular Chinese platform had been caught in regulatory crossfires for weeks, as the United States Supreme Court considered banning it due to national security concerns. While the court ruled in favor of banning it in the U.S., the app quickly returned when Donald Trump promised to reinstate it after being sworn in as President.
Users can now access TikTok again, at least for now. Trump ordered the U.S. Department of Justice not to enforce the ban for 75 days, during which time he seemed convinced he could reach a deal with TikTok parent ByteDance to sell at least part of the company.
However, since the app has been reinstated, TikTok users have reported a troubling trend, one that raises questions about the platform’s future plans.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew attended President Donald Trump's inauguration, just as users are reporting a shocking change on his platform.Pool/Getty Images
TikTok may be different in Trump’s America
Many U.S. TikTok users expressed delight as their access to the app returned, despite the fact that it hadn’t actually been down for very long. But while many people celebrated, others began flagging a change on the platform that they found concerning.
Yesterday, one X user who goes by the name Karl Max, shared a post consisting of two TikTok screenshots of the same search: “Donald Trump rigged election.”
The photos showed that one search, allegedly made by a phone in the U.S., revealed that TikTok did not provide any search results. By contrast, the photo next to it, allegedly made by a UK phone, showed multiple results for the same search.
Commenters on the post have claimed that TikTok users based in Canada are also unable to see results after entering the same search terms, while others responded to confirm that it still works in the UK. A quick search from a U.S. account demonstrates that the more general term ‘rigged election’ turns up no results on TikTok, even if Trump is not mentioned.
A popular account called Truth Matters, highlighted further allegations of anti-Trump content being censored, stating “Resistors are getting content pulled down and the algorithm seems alive to anything overtly anti Trump.”
Craig Albert, Graduate Director, Intelligence and Security Studies at Augusta University, spoke to TheStreet about what this type of action from TikTok could mean.
“It is very concerning that TikTok is blocking any type of searches, especially those that are confrontational towards President Trump,” he states.
“If you combine this with the message users got from the app once it restarted, basically thanking Trump, it shows a problematic connection for security scholars between TikTok, and possibly Bytedance and China.”
It is true that TikTok has expressed gratitude toward Trump, as it explicitly states on the platform for all returning users to see. The platform’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, joined Trump at his inauguration ceremony, alongside several prominent tech leaders including Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
Questions abound regarding TikTok and Trump content
Right now, many social media platforms are facing intense scrutiny amid accusations that they are shifting toward conservative policies in order to appease Trump.
Meta Platforms (META) recently replaced a head of public policy with a conservative lobbyist and implemented a fact-checking system that closely mirrors the Community Notes system of Elon Musk’s X.
TikTok has claimed to be in the “process of restoring service” following the ban, but hasn’t publicly discussed the search censorship allegations yet. As such, details are still emerging as to what has caused these problems with the search function.
Digital advocacy expert and Vice President of Public Affairs at Think Big Ryan Waite shared some insights on what may be behind it. In his words:
“It’s plausible that earlier moderation guidelines, which were broader and aimed at curbing divisive or political content, might inadvertently affect this type of content. That being said, a lack of transparency always raises eyebrows, especially when politically sensitive topics are involved.”
Waite also notes that while any digital platform can experience technical difficulties that can compromise its functions due to algorithmic updates. “Given TikTok’s history of controversial moderation practices, any skepticism is understandable,” he adds.
If this problem is indeed a technical malfunction on TikTok’s part, it should be fixed relatively soon and the platform’s full search functions restored. That said, if the problem were due to an internal glitch, TikTok likely could have quickly issued a statement confirming this.
Until the company issues an update, it will likely be difficult to assess if there has been any underhanded activity on the part of the platform.
