Overview of One Thing: New TikTok: Different Owners, Fresh Censorship Concerns
This episode (host David Rind) examines recent changes to TikTok’s U.S. ownership and a wave of user complaints that some politically charged posts are being suppressed or failing to upload. CNN tech editor Lisa Adichico explains what changed (new U.S. joint venture, Oracle storing U.S. data, algorithm retraining), summarizes the anecdotal evidence users cite, and outlines why proving intentional censorship is difficult. The episode also covers immediate reactions (spikes in uninstalls, political alarm, investigations) and the broader implications for information flow and trust on social platforms.
Key takeaways
- TikTok’s U.S. assets were transferred to a joint venture including Oracle, Larry Ellison, Silver Lake and MGX; ByteDance retains just under 20%. Oracle will store U.S. user data.
- The new U.S. team is reportedly “retraining” TikTok’s recommendation algorithm on U.S. data — a technical transition that may change the For You feed experience.
- Users reported videos about ICE, Jeffrey Epstein and a recent Minneapolis incident being delayed, held for review, or getting zero views; TikTok’s U.S. joint venture attributes issues to a data-center outage.
- App-analytics firm Sensor Tower reported a ~150% spike in TikTok uninstalls in a recent five-day window; downloads of competitor Upscroll rose.
- Proving intentional political censorship is hard: the algorithm’s inner workings aren’t public, and as a private platform TikTok has the legal right to moderate content. But perception of bias alone is already driving some users away.
- Political and regulatory attention is growing (e.g., California’s governor flagging an investigation; senators raising alarm), making this both a tech and a political story.
Background & what's changed
- Why the ownership change: U.S. national-security concerns and a law that would ban TikTok unless spun off from ByteDance spurred the sale/transition.
- New ownership structure: U.S. joint venture involves Oracle (large role in security/data), Silver Lake, MGX, others; ByteDance retains a minority stake (<20%).
- Technical change: the U.S. algorithm/data environment is being migrated/retrained on U.S. data and U.S. data centers (Oracle involved).
Reports of censorship — what users say
- Users report:
- Uploads about ICE and other politically charged topics failing to process or getting zero views.
- Videos stuck “in processing” for hours and then not reaching audiences.
- Some creators (e.g., comedian Megan Stalter) saying they’ll delete or deactivate accounts over perceived censorship.
- Company explanation: a data center outage affected performance; Oracle/US data hosting is a recent change.
- Data point: Sensor Tower saw a 150% increase in TikTok uninstalls in the recent five-day window compared to a few months earlier; competitor Upscroll saw increased downloads.
Reactions and implications
- Political reactions: bipartisan friction — Democrats worry about Trump-aligned billionaires controlling platform content; some Republicans previously alleged bias against conservative voices on social platforms.
- Media consolidation concerns: a small number of wealthy investors exerting influence over major communications platforms raises antitrust and democratic-trust questions.
- Information effects: if users distrust TikTok’s recommendations, many may migrate to other apps for news and community, altering information ecosystems and creator incomes.
What’s uncertain / hard to prove
- Intent: No public, verifiable evidence proves the outages or recommendation changes were politically motivated.
- Algorithm details: Recommendation algorithms are proprietary and opaque; proving systematic suppression requires access to internal logs, model details and decision criteria.
- Scope/timeline: It’s unclear how long retraining will take, which data centers are affected, and whether observed changes are temporary side-effects of migration.
Notable quotes from the episode
- President Trump (recorded quote): “If I could, I’d make it 100% MAGA-related.”
- Senator Chris Murphy (paraphrased in coverage): called potential suppression “a threat to democracy.”
- Creators’ reaction: some high-profile users reported uploading problems and are deleting content/accounts in protest.
What to watch next
- Official transparency from the TikTok U.S. joint venture about the retraining process, timelines and technical causes for outages.
- Findings from any state or federal investigations (e.g., California inquiry) into content suppression claims.
- Trends in downloads/uninstalls and migration to competing apps over the coming weeks.
- Any policy or Congressional action prompted by these events, especially ahead of midterm elections.
Practical advice for users and creators
- Back up content locally before deleting or deactivating accounts if you’re worried about losing videos.
- Monitor official statements from TikTok U.S. and independent app-analytics firms for evolving data on outages and user movement.
- Diversify audience platforms if you rely on TikTok for income or news distribution to reduce single-platform risk.
- Treat anecdotal changes cautiously: technical migrations can temporarily disrupt services even without political intent.