Users report ‘Epstein’ posts blocked on TikTok after US takeover

CALGARY — TikTok has denied claims that it is censoring political speech after users in the United States reported being unable to post or message content containing the word “Epstein,” a reference to Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender and financier.Users began reporting issues just days after the platform started operating under majority American ownership, following the completion of a deal that separated the app’s US operations from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.The restructuring came after months of political pressure in Washington over national security concerns tied to TikTok’s Chinese ownership.Several high-profile commentators were quick to point out that the reported restrictions reflected political censorship rather than technical problems..Former Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said the issue underscored her opposition to the US ban that ultimately forced the sale.“Now that it’s been sold, apparently people are getting censored for posting about Epstein and other things,” Greene wrote on X.“People loved TikTok, but they are leaving in droves because banning people’s speech is worse than spying on them.”.Television host Alex Taylor echoed those concerns, saying the timing of the issues raised questions about US oversight of the platform.“The US took over TikTok a week ago and all of a sudden you can't post anything with the words ‘ICE’ or ‘Epstein’ in it,” Taylor said.“And to think they came over here lecturing us Europeans about our — alleged — censorship.”.Mike Benz, executive director of the Foundation for Freedom Online, said the situation was damaging to TikTok’s credibility.“It’s a very bad look to have more censorship under US ownership than under the Chinese,” Benz said.“It almost goes without saying that if it doesn’t reverse course immediately, it deserves the scandal and exodus it’s getting.”TikTok, however, has rejected claims that it is deliberately restricting political speech.The company said the reported disruptions were the result of technical issues linked to the ownership transition, not content moderation decisions.In a statement to CNBC, TikTok’s US joint venture said it had made “significant progress” restoring systems following a data centre power outage.The company acknowledged that some users may still experience glitches, including failed uploads or posts registering “zero views.”TikTok also denied having any rule that bans the word “Epstein” in direct messages, saying it is investigating why some users encountered error messages while attempting to post or message certain terms.The company added it “categorically rejects” broader claims of political censorship.

Users report ‘Epstein’ posts blocked on TikTok after US takeover

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