TikTok Faces Outage and Censorship Concerns Over Anti-ICE Videos
TikTok has been experiencing widespread technical problems, including uploads failing, feeds behaving oddly, and videos showing unusually low or zero views â particularly for posts about recent federal immigration enforcement activity and protests. Some users say this feels like censorship, especially after the platformâs U.S. operations were recently spun off to new American investors and executives.
Key Insight: Some users who tried to post videos critical of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) say their posts either wouldnât upload or got very low engagement, which has sparked concern that content may be suppressed â though TikTok says the issues are due to system outages.
What Users Reported
Comedians, musicians and regular users have said that videos they tried to post about federal immigration operations in the U.S. were either stuck âunder review,â failed to upload, or got zero views despite large followings. Creators report the platformâs recommendation system isnât showing their content as expected, leading to suspicions.
Some posts that typically attract thousands or millions of views saw only a tiny fraction of that engagement, which users interpreted as possible algorithmic suppression of politically sensitive content.
TikTokâs Explanation
TikTok says the main cause of the problems is **a power outage at a U.S. data center** that disrupted services and caused cascading glitches across the app. This outage affected video uploads, content visibility, and engagement metrics. TikTok says it is working with its partner to stabilize systems and restore normal functionality.
The company has stated that the technical issues are unrelated to its recent change in U.S. ownership, and that delays in uploading or publishing are a byproduct of infrastructure problems rather than intentional filtering.
Context: Ownership and Trust
TikTokâs U.S. business was recently spun off to a consortium of majority-American investors, including some aligned with prominent political figures. This change was required under U.S. law to address national security concerns. Because of the timing coinciding with the outage and the political context, some users and commentators view the issues through the lens of **trust and content moderation change**, even if hard evidence of intentional censorship is lacking.
Many of these complaints have been shared under hashtags related to âcensorship,â and a broader debate has emerged about how social platforms manage political content, especially during moments of heightened public interest.
Final Thoughts
TikTokâs current problems highlight how technical outages can overlap with sensitive political discussions, leading to mistrust and speculation. While the company attributes the troubles to infrastructure issues, users remain wary, especially when system faults affect how their content is distributed. As social media platforms evolve under new ownership and regulation, debates about transparency, moderation, and algorithm behavior will likely continue.
Tip: Tech glitches on social media can sometimes look like censorship, but technical issues can cause similar symptoms â understanding both sides helps you make sense of whatâs happening.
