TikTok Blocks 'Epstein' and Censors Anti-ICE Videos: Newsom Investigates New Owners

What's Happening on TikTok (And Why You Should Care)

Let me break this down: on January 22, 2026, TikTok officially passed to American investors led by Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX. Four days later, users started reporting that the word "Epstein" was blocked in direct messages, and videos critical of ICE (the immigration agency) showed exactly 0 views.

Think of it like posting a video that would normally get thousands of views and checking to find a big fat zero. That's what happened to dozens of creators with political content last week. And we're not talking about small accounts: actress Megan Stalter (278,000 followers), state senator Scott Wiener, and musician Finneas (3.9 million followers, Billie Eilish's brother) all reported the same issue.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has already launched an official investigation. TikTok says it was all due to a "power outage at a data center." What most guides won't tell you is that the censorship infrastructure now controlled by the new owners was originally designed in China.

The Timeline of Disaster

To understand how we got here, you need to see the sequence of events:

The trick is the timing: everything started exactly after the ownership change. TikTok insists it's a coincidence. Millions of users aren't so sure.

Who Are the New Owners?

Here's where the story gets interesting. The ownership structure of the new TikTok USDS is as follows:

What most people don't know is who Larry Ellison is. The founder of Oracle and one of the richest men in the world is a declared Donald Trump ally. After the 2020 elections, court documents show Ellison participated in calls with other Trump supporters sharing ideas about how to "undermine the result of the election."

Trump joked when signing the divestiture executive order in September 2025 that he'd like TikTok's algorithm to be "100% MAGA." He celebrated the deal on Truth Social, calling the new owners "a group of Great American Patriots."

The "Epstein" Block: What We Know

On January 27, NPR confirmed that users couldn't send direct messages containing the word "Epstein." When trying, they received an error message.

TikTok's official response was vague: "We don't have rules against sharing the name 'Epstein' in direct messages and are investigating why some users are experiencing issues."

The problem appeared inconsistently — some users could send the message, others couldn't. This is typical of censorship systems that are implemented gradually or that partially fail.

Jeffrey Epstein, for those who don't know, was an American financier convicted of sex crimes who allegedly had connections to numerous powerful figures, including politicians and business leaders. His name has become synonymous with elite corruption.

The "Zero Views" Phenomenon: Documented Cases

The "zero views" phenomenon primarily affected political content, especially videos about ICE following the Minneapolis shooting where federal agents killed Alex Pretti.

Confirmed Cases

Megan Stalter, actress from the series Hacks, tried disguising her political content as comedy sketches. The videos were still buried. She posted screen recordings showing zeros and announced she would shut down her TikTok account.

Her statement: "TikTok is under new ownership and we are being completely censored and monitored. I'm unable to upload anything about [ICE] even after I tried to trick the page by making it look like a comedy video."

Billie Eilish Enters the Scene

On January 27, Billie Eilish posted on her Instagram Stories a screenshot of her brother Finneas's TikTok. The image showed his anti-ICE video had only 114 likes despite having 3.9 million followers.

Her caption was direct: "TikTok is silencing people btw..."

Less than 24 hours after Billie amplified the video, Finneas's post recovered to over 220,000 views and 70,000+ likes. Coincidence, according to TikTok. Public pressure working, according to critics.

Finneas wrote on Instagram that he had been "shadowbanned" by the app after his post speaking out against ICE received less engagement than his usual posts.

California's Investigation

Governor Gavin Newsom didn't stay quiet. On January 27 he announced on X/Threads:

"It's time to investigate. I am launching a review into whether TikTok is violating state law by censoring Trump-critical content."

His office issued a more detailed statement:

"Following TikTok's sale to a Trump-aligned business group, our office has received reports — and independently confirmed instances — of suppressed content critical of President Trump."

What California Can Do

California state law requires social media companies to be transparent about their content censorship policies. Attorney General Rob Bonta has previously investigated TikTok and has led coalitions of 14 attorneys general against the platform for consumer protection violations.

If the investigation finds violations, TikTok could face significant fines and additional transparency requirements.

The "Power Outage" Excuse: Credible?

TikTok attributed all issues to a "major infrastructure issue triggered by a power outage at one of our US data center partner sites."

Their full explanation:

"While the network has been recovered, the outage caused a cascading systems failure that we've been working to resolve together with our data center partner."

Why Some Believe It

• A major winter storm hit North America that week
• Microsoft 365 also experienced outages
• Some non-political content was also affected

Why Many Don't Believe It

• The timing coincided exactly with the ownership change
• Political content was disproportionately affected
• Makeup and cooking videos kept working normally
• The censorship infrastructure was designed in China and has very sophisticated capabilities

An expert quoted in multiple reports explained:

"What the new owners have bought from this Chinese consortium is a very sophisticated system for censoring anything you want. Because this thing had its origins in China, it has incredible capabilities to detect in real time whether you're saying things it doesn't want you to say."

The Supreme Irony: From Chinese Censorship to American Censorship

Here's the twist nobody anticipated. All the pressure to force TikTok's sale was based on these arguments:

• China could use TikTok to spy on Americans
• The Chinese government could manipulate the algorithm for propaganda
• Chinese censorship rules might affect American users

And now, 4 days after the sale to American owners, we have:

• Blocking of the word "Epstein" in direct messages
• Suppression of government-critical videos
• State investigation for political censorship

One commentator summarized it perfectly:

"The situation presents a multi-layered irony: the U.S. pushed for American ownership of TikTok due to Chinese censorship and surveillance concerns, but now under American ownership, users are alleging censorship of politically sensitive U.S. content — using exactly the same sophisticated content moderation infrastructure originally developed in China."

TikTok is banned in China. Chinese users use Douyin, a separate app with strict censorship of any government criticism. That censorship technology is now in the hands of Trump allies.

The Consequences: Users Flee TikTok

According to Sensor Tower data, TikTok uninstalls increased 150% in the 5 days following the ownership change compared to the previous 3 months.

Alternatives saw explosive growth:

UpScrolled climbed to #12 on Apple's App Store for free apps.

However, daily active user levels held steady. Uninstalls haven't yet translated to an actual usage drop. Many users are simply watching before making a decision.

What Experts Say

Jeffrey Blevins, professor at the University of Cincinnati, explained to CNN that proving TikTok is censoring content for political reasons would be "difficult to prove" due to the opaque nature of its recommendation process.

Michael Socolow, media historian at the University of Maine, was more direct:

"The potential to persuade Americans if you own CBS News, TikTok and CNN at one point is incredible, and I think it's historically unprecedented."

Senator Elizabeth Warren demanded answers:

"Trump wants to hand over even more control of what you watch to his billionaire buddies. Americans deserve to know if the president struck another backdoor deal for this billionaire takeover of TikTok."

The White House Statement

The White House quickly distanced itself. Through the Washington Post, they declared:

"[The White House] is not involved in, nor has it made requests related to, TikTok's content moderation."

However, this doesn't answer the key question: are the new owners acting on their own initiative to please their ally in the presidency?

What This Means for You

If you use TikTok, here's what you need to know:

As a Regular User

• Your non-political videos probably won't be affected
• If you create political content, monitor your engagement closely
• The new 2026 Terms of Service have generated additional concern
• Consider diversifying your presence on other platforms

As a Content Creator

• Document any suspicious suppression with screenshots
• Post on multiple platforms (Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts)
• Amplify on other networks if you suspect shadowbanning (like Billie Eilish did)
• Report to authorities if you believe there are legal violations

As a Citizen

• This is a litmus test for free speech in the digital age
• Private platforms have broad legal authority to censor content
• The only effective pressure is public and economic (stop using the app)

Conclusion: Censorship Changed Hands, It Didn't Disappear

What most guides won't tell you is that the problem was never just China. The problem is that 170 million Americans depend on a platform controlled by a handful of people with their own agendas.

Before it was Beijing who could manipulate what you saw. Now it's Larry Ellison and his partners. The censorship infrastructure remains the same — only who holds the keys changed.

California's investigation will determine if there were legal violations. But regardless of the outcome, the message is clear: social media platforms aren't public squares. They're private properties where the owner sets the rules.

And TikTok's new owners have very good relationships with the President of the United States.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is TikTok really censoring political content?

There's documented evidence of videos with 0 views from creators with hundreds of thousands of followers, and confirmed reports that the word "Epstein" was blocked in direct messages. TikTok attributes everything to a "data center power outage," but the timing coincides exactly with the ownership change and political content was disproportionately affected.

Who are TikTok's new owners?

Oracle (15%), Silver Lake (15%), and Abu Dhabi's MGX (15%) are the main investors, with an additional 35.1% from other American investors. ByteDance retains a 19.9% minority stake. Larry Ellison of Oracle is a declared Trump ally.

What can California do about it?

California has laws requiring transparency in social media content censorship policies. Attorney General Rob Bonta can impose fines and require changes if violations are found. He has previously led legal actions against TikTok.

Should I stop using TikTok?

That depends on your priorities. If you create political content, consider diversifying to other platforms. If you're a casual user, monitor the situation. Uninstalls increased 150% but daily active users held steady — many are watching before deciding.

Why would the word "Epstein" be blocked?

There's no official explanation. Jeffrey Epstein was a financier convicted of sex crimes with alleged connections to powerful figures. His name is associated with theories about elite corruption. The blocking appeared inconsistently and TikTok says it's "investigating."