Summary
TikTok users reported that searches for anti-Trump content, such as “Donald Trump rigged election,” returned “No results found” messages in the U.S., while the same searches worked abroad.
Users demonstrated via VPNs that the restrictions seem specific to U.S. accounts, sparking accusations of censorship and claims TikTok is becoming “Trump’s propaganda arm.”
Some anti-Trump hashtags also appear blocked, while pro-Trump terms remain visible.
TikTok has not commented on the issue, fueling further concerns about free speech and potential political influence over the platform.
The real question is why did the same search show blocked results in the US, but unblocked results when on a VPN outside the US?
I installed TikTok specifically to look at this. I got “no results” in the US, but DID get search results when on a VPN to the UK.
The really interesting bit is that now, that it’s all gone public, I get “no results” both ways. Cleared cache and data between searches even.