Megan Stalter, star of the HBO series Hacks, has deleted her TikTok account after alleging the platform was censoring her posts criticising US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The actor and comedian announced her departure on Instagram, stating she would download her videos and leave because the app is under "new ownership and we are being completely censored and monitored."
Stalter claimed she was unable to upload anything about ICE, even after attempting to disguise the content as a comedy video. She urged followers to delete the app, writing: "Let's delete the app, love you." TikTok has not commented on her specific allegations, but the platform experienced a major outage this week due to a power failure at a US data centre, which it said caused various bugs and display errors.
The controversy comes amid nationwide protests against ICE following two fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis this month. On 7 January, Renée Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed while in her car. On 24 January, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, died after a confrontation between agents and civilians. The Trump administration claimed the agents acted in self-defence, a claim disputed by protesters citing video footage.
Stalter is not alone in her claims; musician Billie Eilish reposted a video from her brother Finneas, who said his TikTok criticising gun laws reached zero viewers. Eilish wrote: "TikTok is silencing people btw." Finneas's video later gained 1.4 million views, but comments noted it was "glitching."
Last week, TikTok owner ByteDance finalised a majority American-owned joint deal to continue operating in the US, ending years of uncertainty over national security concerns. The deal includes safeguards to protect national security, though no evidence of Chinese manipulation has been presented.
