TikTok users across the U.S. recently raised concerns about the platform’s content moderation, reporting that videos and DMs containing words like “Epstein” were being flagged or stuck under review. The complaints emerged shortly after the United States and China finalized a deal transferring control of the platform’s U.S. operations to a group of investors backed by Trump.
In the days that followed, social media users began sharing screenshots and firsthand accounts suggesting TikTok was restricting politically or culturally sensitive terms.
Pop Base was among the prominent accounts amplifying these claims, alleging that the video-sharing platform had selectively filtered the word “Epstein” for American users while allowing it to appear freely elsewhere.
“TikTok now censors the word ‘Epstein’ when mentioned in DMs by users in the U.S. Currently, the word is not being filtered for users in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world,” Pop Base shared on X on January 27.
The post quickly went viral, fueling backlash and renewed criticism over the platform’s transparency and moderation practices. However, a subsequent clarification from The Verge debunked the claim about the platform’s deliberate censorship of the word “Epstein.”
Senior News Editor Richard Lawler addressed the situation in a January 27 post on The Verge, explaining that the platform’s U.S. infrastructure was still experiencing instability following a data center power outage.
“Despite claims floating around social media, the truth is a bit more complicated, not least by the fact that TikTok in the US is still largely down, about a day and a half after its data center power outage problems started,” Lawler wrote.
Lawler further explained that internal testing revealed the application’s messaging system was broadly blocking many harmless single-word messages during the outage.
According to his findings, common words such as “test” were being restricted, while messages containing Epstein’s name often went through without issue when used in a complete sentence.
“While tweets from random users, the governor of California, and PopBase claimed TikTok US DMs now censor ‘Epstein,’ testing it from our end showed that its messaging feature bans many innocuous single-word messages, like ‘test.’ Using the convicted sex offender’s name in a sentence, however, goes through unbanned,” he added.
Gavin Newsom announces intent to review TikTok, amidst claims that the platform was censoring the word “Epstein”
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that his office had begun reviewing whether TikTok was violating state law, following viral claims that the platform was censoring content containing the word “Epstein.”
The move came amid broader allegations that the social media company was suppressing criticism of former President Donald Trump and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Newsom addressed the issue publicly on January 27, signaling that his administration was taking the accusations seriously.
“It’s time to investigate. I am launching a review into whether TikTok is violating state law by censoring Trump-critical content,” Newsome shared on X
The governor’s post, first reported by Politico, surfaced just days after the video-sharing company finalized a deal to avoid a potential U.S. ban. Around the same time, users and watchdogs accused the platform of flagging content for review or throttling posts that criticized the Trump administration and federal immigration enforcement.
In a separate post shared later on January 27, Newsom’s press office said the decision to launch the review followed reports his office had received, as well as instances it had independently confirmed.
The statement added that Newsom had called on the California Department of Justice to determine whether such actions violated California law.
According to Newsom’s office, the independent confirmation also involved sending a direct message on the video-sharing platform that included the word “Epstein.”
As per a Politico report dated January 26, the governor’s office told the outlet that the message triggered a warning on the app and was not delivered because it was flagged as potentially violating the platform’s community guidelines.
So far, neither the platform nor the White House has responded to Newsom’s latest announcement. Additionally, while The Verge debunked claims about TikTok censoring the word “Epstein” in direct messages between U.S. users, the platform itself has not issued any official statement addressing the allegations.
Edited by Shayari Roy