California Governor Launches Review into TikTok's Content Moderation Practices

California Governor Gavin Newsom has initiated a review of TikTok's content moderation practices following reports that the platform suppressed content critical of President Donald Trump. Newsom's office stated on Monday that they have received and independently confirmed instances of such suppression.

The review aims to determine whether TikTok's actions violate California law. This development comes after TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, finalized a deal to establish a majority U.S.-owned joint venture, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, to address national security concerns and prevent a potential U.S. ban.

In response to the allegations, a representative for the joint venture attributed the content suppression to a data center power outage, stating that it caused a cascading systems failure affecting content posting. They emphasized that it would be inaccurate to report the issue as anything other than the technical problems transparently confirmed.

TikTok's new ownership structure includes American investors Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX, each holding a 15% stake, while ByteDance retains a 19.9% stake. The joint venture is responsible for U.S. data protection, algorithm security, content moderation, and software assurance.

The platform, which boasts over 200 million American users, has faced scrutiny over its content moderation policies. Users have reported issues such as videos being placed under review or experiencing difficulties uploading content related to sensitive topics.

The outcome of Governor Newsom's review could have significant implications for TikTok's operations in California and potentially influence broader discussions on content moderation and platform accountability in the United States.