TikTok's newly established US operations, helmed by a consortium of predominantly American investors sanctioned by former President Donald Trump, are experiencing a tumultuous start.The popular social media platform has faced significant technical outages, raising concerns about its functionality and possibly its political motivations.
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cnn.comlocalnews8.comThe application has been reported to have been "on the fritz" for several days, with TikTok attributing the issues to a power outage at a data center.However, speculation has surfaced across various social media platforms suggesting that the new investor group might be suppressing content critical of Trump and his policies.
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localnews8.comnewspressnow.comIn response to the outages, TikTok announced on Tuesday that it has made "significant progress" in restoring its services but cautioned users that they may still encounter some technical issues, particularly when attempting to post new content.
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cnn.comThe situation has not gone unnoticed by political figures, with California Governor Gavin Newsom calling for an investigation into the matter.He stated, "It's time to investigate," and announced a review to determine whether TikTok's actions could be violating state law by censoring content critical of Trump.
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cnn.comlocalnews8.comNewsom's office claimed to have "received reports - and independently confirmed instances - of suppressed content critical of President Trump." This led to his request for California's attorney general to assess the situation in light of potential legal violations.
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localnews8.comThe ownership structure of TikTok's US operations has drawn scrutiny, particularly because key investors such as Oracle, led by Larry Ellison, have close ties to Trump.Oracle and other non-Chinese investors now hold about 80% of the new entity, while ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, retains the remainder.
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newspressnow.comCritics have raised concerns that these investors may manipulate the platform to support Trump and other Republican candidates in future elections, drawing parallels to Elon Musk's alterations to Twitter after his acquisition of the platform.
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cnn.comlocalnews8.comUser experiences on TikTok have further fueled suspicions regarding suppression.High-profile users, including celebrities like Billie Eilish, reported that their videos critical of Trump's immigration policies faced delays in posting or received minimal engagement.Some of these videos addressed the controversial fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, which ignited widespread condemnation across social media.
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cnn.comThe controversy escalated over the weekend when Democratic Senator Chris Murphy voiced concerns about potential political interference on TikTok, stating, "I know it's hard to track all the threats to democracy out there right now, but this is at the top of the list." His remarks reflect a growing apprehension among some lawmakers regarding the implications of TikTok's new ownership.
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localnews8.comIn an attempt to quell the growing discontent, TikTok attributed the glitches to a "cascading systems failure" resulting from the data center power outage.The company reiterated its commitment to restoring the platform to full capacity and promised ongoing updates to users.
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cnn.comAdding to the controversy, some TikTok users reported issues when attempting to send the name "Epstein" in their direct messages.A TikTok representative clarified that there are no existing rules against sharing the name and that the matter is under investigation.
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localnews8.comThis incident echoes previous claims from conservative users who alleged that they were being "deplatformed" or "shadowbanned" during the Biden administration, although the current situation seems to present a reversal of that narrative.
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newspressnow.comAs TikTok navigates these technical and political challenges, the implications for its new ownership structure and the potential for content manipulation remain under scrutiny.The company's ability to address user concerns and restore trust will be critical as it moves forward in the US market.
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cnn.comlocalnews8.comThe coming weeks will be pivotal as investigations proceed and users continue to voice their experiences.The outcome may have lasting effects not only on TikTok's operations but also on the broader landscape of social media and political discourse in America.
