TikTok struggles with upload issues and censorship allegations following US restructuring

TikTok is facing criticism: both technical outages and censorship allegations are putting pressure on the social media platform. Since the company announced a new joint venture for the US market last week, significantly more users have been uninstalling the app. According to market research firm Sensor Tower, the daily deletion rate in the US has increased by almost 150 percent over the past five days.

The joint venture is intended to keep TikTok’s US business running under new American leadership, after months of political pressure due to Chinese ownership (we reported). Adam Presser, previously TikTok’s Head of Operations, was appointed CEO of the joint venture TikTok USDS. But instead of reassurance, a wave of skepticism followed, triggered by technical problems and censorship allegations, as CNBC reports.

Influencers voice criticism

Content creators are currently uncertain. Nadya Okamoto, who has over 4 million followers on TikTok, reports massive upload problems – for around 24 hours she was unable to upload videos. Other creators experienced the same issue. TikTok attributes the disruptions to a power outage at one of its data centers.

Dre Ronayne, who had nearly 400,000 followers, deleted her account entirely on Sunday and subsequently posted on Threads: “If I can delete my biggest platform because its terms of use and censorship have gotten out of control, then you can too.”

Censorship allegations surrounding Epstein and ICE

Because alongside the technical problems, allegations of political censorship are mounting. Users report that certain content – such as critical posts about US President Trump or the immigration agency ICE – are no longer being recommended or are being blocked.

CNBC was able to confirm that direct messages containing the word “Epstein” triggered an error message. The sensitivity around the name relates to Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased financier and convicted sex offender whose files the US Department of Justice has been gradually releasing since December.

California Governor Gavin Newsom weighed in and announced an investigation. “Our office has received reports – and independently confirmed cases – of suppressed content criticizing President Trump,” it states. Newsom is calling on California’s Department of Justice to examine whether this violates California law.

Specifically, it concerns videos of ICE operations in Minneapolis in which two US citizens were shot. TikTok emphasizes that videos of the incident are available on the platform. The platform is also investigating the blocking of the name “Epstein” in direct messages – it does not prohibit the use of the name.