TikTok feels ‘off’ after US ban lifted: Are some users being censored?

U.S. TikTok users have noticed changes in the platform since its revival. Reports indicate fewer livestreams and heightened scrutiny, with some content being removed or flagged more frequently for violating community guidelines. "While we're restoring our services in the U.S., some TikTok features may be temporarily unstable or unavailable. We're working hard to resolve this issue," TikTok stated in an in-app message.

Political Content Under Scrutiny

Some users claim TikTok is censoring political content. Lisa Cline, a TikTok user, shared on Meta's Threads platform that she faced difficulties uploading a video critical of former President Donald Trump. "I tried to post this six times to TikTok and it wouldn't let me because of censorship, here's (to) hoping it works here," she wrote. Similarly, Danisha Carter, a political commentator with 2 million followers, found her account permanently suspended after the ban was lifted. She was informed it was due to "multiple policy violations," but believes it was politically motivated. "This has been very politically targeted," Carter said.

Changes in Content Sharing

Comedian and veteran Pat Loller, who has 1.3 million followers, reported that a satirical video he created about Elon Musk's gesture at an inauguration event was tagged as misinformation. "I've never seen this before, and it is still there. It says 'sharing is limited to one chat at a time,'" he said.

Phones with TikTok Sold at High Prices

With TikTok's absence from app stores, individuals have taken to selling phones with the app preinstalled. Prices on platforms such as eBay and Facebook Marketplace have ranged from $500 to as high as $50,000. Nicholas Matthews from New York listed an iPhone 14 Plus with TikTok for $10,000 and reported his highest bid was $4,550. "I’m just expecting to sell this one phone," he said, according to AP.

Uncertainty Surrounding TikTok's Future

TikTok's reinstatement follows a new U.S. law that mandates its sale to an American entity due to national security concerns. President Trump has stated he is open to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk or Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison purchasing the app. "They'll have something that's actually more valuable because they have the ultimate partner, and the United States will make it very worthwhile for them in terms of the permits and everything else," Trump said.

General Atlantic, a major ByteDance investor, expressed optimism that a resolution could be reached soon. "We'll get on with it, as soon as maybe the end of the week in terms of negotiating what might work... The Chinese government, the U.S. government and the company and the board all have to be involved in this conversation," said General Atlantic CEO Bill Ford.

TikTok, which has around 170 million users in the U.S., faced a temporary ban over national security concerns. The app was removed from Apple and Google app stores, and existing users were still able to access it. Entrepreneurs have since capitalised on the situation by selling phones preloaded with the app, with varying degrees of success.