Am I being censored? Some US TikTok users say app feels different after ban lifted By Reuters

By Doyinsola Oladipo

NEW YORK (Reuters) – American TikTok users who once considered the app a haven for free speech say they are seeing signs of censorship after the platform, owned by China’s ByteDance, was revived by President Donald Trump. By Trump’s executive order.

TikTok users are seeing a difference in the short-form video app after it was blacked out Saturday under a new bipartisan-backed national security law that requires it to be sold to a U.S. buyer. Trump has vowed to find a solution to the ban, along with several bidders, including people with close ties to the incoming Republican president.

Users say they’re seeing fewer live streams, and some activities are being removed or flagged at higher rates for violating community guidelines, including behavior that was previously allowed.

“While we restore our services in the US, some features on TikTok may be temporarily unstable or unavailable. We are working hard to resolve this issue,” TikTok told US users in an in-app message on Tuesday.

TikTok did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

But some users said they now see more content moderation, such as limited search results, as well as warnings about misinformation and prompts for users to check their sources.

Some claimed that TikTok was shocking comments that used phrases such as “Free Palestine” and “Free Luigi,” a reference to Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering the head of UnitedHealth (NYSE: ), which previously was allowed.

On Monday, Trump signed an executive order aimed at restoring free speech and ending censorship, specifically targeting social media platforms.

Content creator, comedian and veteran Pat Lawler, 36, says a satirical video he created in response to billionaire Elon Musk’s hand gesture at the inauguration, which appeared to some to be a Nazi salute, was first labeled as misinformation was limited by how far it could spread the video, which garnered more than a million views.

“I’ve never seen this and it’s still there. It says ‘sharing is limited to one chat at a time,'” said Lawler, who has 1.3 million followers.

On Tuesday, Trump said he was open to Musk, a close ally of the president and helping oversee his new government efficiency initiative, buying TikTok if he wanted to do so.

TikTok user Lisa Klein said on Meta’s (NASDAQ:) Threads that she was having trouble posting a video criticizing Trump on TikTok.

“I tried six times to put this on TikTok and it wouldn’t let me because of censorship, hoping it would work here,” Klein said.The video references Trump’s response to Bishop Marian Edgar Budde after he was inaugurated at the National Cathedral in Washington. during the ceremony asked him to show mercy to the “scared” people.

Danisha Carter, 27, said her account, which has 2 million followers, was permanently suspended shortly after TikTok went dark on Saturday after she was told it was due to “multiple policy violations” when she tried to log in after the ban is lifted.

“This has been very politically driven,” said political and social commentator Carter, who said TikTok would not explain its decision, which it said was final for the presidential campaign and its impact on US businesses.

Others say they are being flagged for comments unrelated to politics, raising concerns that users are being targeted based on other criteria, including identity or past content.

Ada “Mila” Ortiz, a data analyst and content creator, says she received yellow cards after leaving harmless comments on other videos, warning that another violation would prevent her from accessing certain features.

“It was so sudden and so random, I thought they were trying to get me out of here,” he said.Ortiz has since deleted about 15 videos that were pro-Vice President Kamala Harris and anti-Trump.