The number of US users deleting TikTok has surged nearly 150% since a group of investors loyal to President Donald Trump took over the app's American operations, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
The ownership change, which saw TikTok pass from Chinese parent company ByteDance to an investment group including Oracle—led by Trump ally Larry Ellison—has sparked censorship concerns. Some users reported that videos critical of Trump and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Minneapolis received no views, while the word 'Epstein' was blocked in messages.
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced he would investigate whether TikTok is censoring content, which could violate state law. TikTok acknowledged the incidents, attributing them to technical issues caused by a power outage at a US data centre partner site. A spokesperson said the company is fixing the problem and denied any rules about sharing the name Jeffrey Epstein.
Users have also raised concerns about TikTok's updated privacy policy, which requests information on sexual orientation, transgender status, and citizenship. However, an archived version shows the same language existed under ByteDance's ownership. The fears have led to increased downloads for rival apps Skylight and UpScrolled.
