Users reported that videos related to the incident drew unusually low view counts or failed to post, prompting accusations that TikTok was censoring content linked to federal immigration enforcement.
Many aired their complaints under the hashtag #TikTokCensorship on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as on Bluesky and Facebook.
Late on Monday, TikTok said the issues were the result of a “cascading systems failure” that caused “multiple bugs,” including problems posting new videos and content showing zero views.
“We’re continuing to resolve a major infrastructure issue triggered by a power outage at one of our US data center partner sites,” the company said.
The disruption came shortly after TikTok announced on Thursday that it had finalized a deal to spin off its US operations from its Chinese parent company to avoid a potential US ban.
Against this backdrop, some high-profile figures joined the criticism.
Singer Billie Eilish wrote on Instagram that “tiktok is silencing people btw,” after her brother Finneas O’Connell posted a TikTok video about Alex Pretti’s death that reached fewer viewers than usual.
“You’ve spent 30 years straight telling us that children have to die so that we’re allowed to legally carry weapons everywhere in the United States,” O’Connell said in the video.
“This guy was being beaten to a pulp on the ground. He didn’t draw his weapon.”
As of Monday morning, the video had about 42,000 views, compared with more than 10 times that number for many of his other posts.
Other users described similar experiences.
A TikTok user identified as @necie28 said videos she posted criticizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement logged zero views, despite her having 35,700 followers.
She accused the platform of “full-on censorship,” adding that her post about the alleged suppression had just 15 views on Monday morning, compared with 1.1 million views for her pinned video.
However, the problems appeared to extend beyond politically sensitive content.
Thousands of users reported outages on Sunday, citing difficulties posting videos, viewing follower-count changes and seeing videos register no views, according to outage tracker Downdetector.
Adding to those accounts, freelance writer David Leavitt said two of three videos he posted the day after the ownership change were labeled “ineligible for recommendation.”
One video mocked President Donald Trump, while the other showed anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis, he said.
“The only way to view the videos is to have a direct link or visit my profile, then click them,” Leavitt said.
“Neither followers or people on the For You page would see them from normal scrolling.”
More broadly, tech companies including TikTok, Meta and YouTube have long faced scrutiny over how algorithms surface or limit content during periods of political tension or following major platform changes.
Automated moderation systems can misfire, and sudden shifts in user posting behavior can trigger unexpected throttling or flags.
This episode highlights the skepticism TikTok may face from its largely young user base under new ownership when handling contentious political material.
Turning to the ownership issue, TikTok said last week it completed a deal to spin off its US business into TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, controlled by a consortium of US investors.
The group includes Oracle, whose executive chairman Larry Ellison has assembled media properties friendly to Trump.
Oracle declined to comment.
The White House said it had no role in TikTok’s content moderation decisions.
“The White House is not involved in, nor has it made requests related to, TikTok’s content moderation,” a spokesperson said.
Some legal experts and lawmakers also weighed in.
Steve Vladeck, a Georgetown law professor, said in a Bluesky post that a video he uploaded criticizing the Department of Homeland Security remained “under review” for nine hours and could not be shared.
Vladeck said he argued in the video that DHS claims about warrantless home entry in immigration cases were “bunk.”
“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, a Democrat from Connecticut, said on X.
Similar complaints have surfaced at other US technology companies in recent years.
Last year, abortion pill providers said Instagram suspended their accounts after Meta ended its fact-checking program, with some accounts later restored.
In 2023, Meta said an internal bug was responsible after users supporting Palestinians reported their posts were being suppressed.
In the United States, Republicans have also accused TikTok of amplifying liberal-leaning content, including videos about the Israel war on Gaza and those about Trump.
Glenn Gerstell, a former National Security Agency general counsel, said it remained unclear whether TikTok had changed its moderation policies.
“But if true, it would be disturbing if the fear of foreign content manipulation was replaced by concerns over domestic censorship,” he said.