The US version of TikTok has been accused of suppressing content critical of President Donald Trump by governor of California Gavin Newsom just days after being acquired by a conglomerate of US companies.
Writing on X, Newsom said: “It’s time to investigate. I am launching a review into whether TikTok is violating state law by censoring Trump-critical content.”
In December, TikTok’s parent company ByteDance finally agreed to sell most of its US business to a group of investors including Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX after originally being ordered to do so under a ruling from Joe Biden’s administration in 2024. The inclusion of Oracle in the deal has proven controversial given that the firm was founded by Larry Ellison, who has deep ties to the Trump administration. Trump has also praised TikTok in the past, claiming that it helped him get elected.
“Following TikTok’s sale to a Trump-aligned business group, our office has received reports – and independently confirmed instances – of suppressed...