This past January, TikTok signed agreements with major investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX to form the new TikTok U.S. joint venture. The company claims that the new version will end the looming threat of a ban in the United States while operating under “defined safeguards that protect national security through comprehensive data protections, algorithm security, content moderation, and software assurances for U.S. users.” 

Under new ownership, TikTok placed an emphasis on data protection, storing data in a system run by Oracle. The content recommendation will also be updated, feeding users videos tailored to their interests. The company also plans to eventually completely cut ties with the previous owner, ByteDance.  

Following the update, many viewers claim the app is censoring and limiting their content, especially around Jeffrey Epstein and the murders of U.S. citizens by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Some creators also note that they are unable to post videos surrounding these topics, despite multiple attempts. TikTok issued a statement claiming this was due to technical issues.  

Creators and viewers remain concerned about these censorship issues and skeptical of the company’s claim that these issues are not due to censorship. Casey Fiesler, an associate professor of technology ethics and internet law at the University of Colorado, Boulder, is unsurprised by the mistrust of the company, “given the connection of the new ownership of TikTok to the Trump administration, which is so wrapped up in what is happening with ICE in Minnesota.” 

With these recent changes, many users are deleting TikTok. According to market firm SensorTower, the daily average of TikTok uninstalls is up by 150% in the last days of January as compared to the three months before the update.   

Despite this, creators are urging people to stay on TikTok. For example, Jen Hamilton states that the “whole thing is intended to dissuade people, especially who are sharing a narrative that is not similar to what the government is wanting people to hear,” she continues, “I think the purpose of having those people feel like their content is not safe on this platform is to get them to stop speaking out, or use the platform differently, or play by the rules.”