TikTok, a popular content app for dancing and gaming, has evolved into a platform for addressing activism and world issues. It has helped spread awareness to many different groups, including Black Lives Matter, Iranian Lives Matter, and abortion rights. However, even if these videos were allowed to be posted, some speculate that the Chinese-made app has censored certain content.
In June of 2020, when BLM was gaining more and more attention as the George Floyd protests were taking place, “several creators who TIME spoke to say they have either experienced noticeable declines in viewership and engagement on their videos after posting content in support of the Black Lives Matter movement or noticed recent instances where they felt that TikTok’s community guidelines weren’t being fairly applied to Black creators.”
Tiktok fired back, saying it was a “technical glitch,” and finally changed the issue after being called out on Twitter. Not only did BLM creators face this issue, but many pro-choice activists also did. One group, Rogue Valley Pepper Shakers (@rvpeppershakers), has had their videos hidden, taken down, and had content removed because it “went against” TikTok’s terms of service. Their content was violating “minor safety,” even when most of their videos were about abortion safety and LGBTQ rights.
Many people have had doubts about TikTok after this all happened. Even Marco Rubio, a senator from Florida, noted that Chinese apps are “increasingly being used to censor content and silence open discussion on topics deemed sensitive by the Chinese Government and Communist Party.”
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