The inquiry comes less than a week after a coalition of Trump-aligned investors took control of the platform’s U.S. operations
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is launching an investigation into TikTok’s censorship practices after users reported being unable to post content critical of the Trump administration.
The inquiry comes less than a week after TikTok struck a deal with a group of non-Chinese investors to create a U.S. TikTok, ending a six-year legal saga that saw Congress ban the popular social media app over national security concerns.
U.S. TikTok’s new owners feature several Trump-aligned companies, including Oracle, run by longtime Trump ally Larry Ellison, and MGX, an Emirati investment firm, heightening concerns about censorship.
It’s time to investigate.
I am launching a review into whether TikTok is violating state law by censoring Trump-critical content. https://t.co/AZ2mWW68xa
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) January 27, 2026
Some TikTok users reported being unable to mention Jeffrey Epstein in direct messages, while others, including Hacks star Megan Stalter and singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, said content criticizing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was barred on the platform.
“TikTok is under new ownership and we are being completely censored and monitored,” Stalter wrote. “I’m unable to upload anything about 🧊 even after I tried to trick the page by making it look like a comedy video.”
Stalter has since deleted her TikTok account and encouraged her followers to delete the app in protest.
Journalist David Leavitt wrote on X that “TikTok had begun censoring anti-Trump and anti-ICE content,” sharing a screenshot of videos on his profile that had been flagged as “Ineligible for Recommendation.”
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Another user saw his comments on videos removed for expressing anti-Nazi rhetoric and pro-Palestine viewpoints.
None of the users’ claims could be independently verified by Los Angeles Magazine.
I know this is out of character for me, but I’m speaking up.
I made this post (left) on my TikTok story.
Less than an hour later, it was replaced with a black screen (right).
TikTok is now fully censored by the U.S. government. pic.twitter.com/yc21BQZ49e
— BarleyTheBurr (@BarleyTheBurr) January 25, 2026
Conversations surrounding social media censorship have risen in prominence since Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022 and rebranded the platform as X.
Musk, a self-described “free speech absolutist,” fired the platform’s content moderation team soon after taking control of the company, accusing the department of silencing conservative voices.
“For Twitter to deserve public trust, it must be politically neutral, which effectively means upsetting the far right and the far left equally,” Musk wrote on the platform shortly after the acquisition.
Despite the tech billionaire’s claims of transforming X into a “free speech app,” Musk has been accused of “silencing his critics” on the site by banning journalists and political commentators while tweaking the platform’s algorithm to promote conservative viewpoints.
Many Democrats fear Oracle and MGX could reshape TikTok in ways similar to Elon Musk’s changes at X.
“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,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) wrote on X.
Aidan Williams
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