California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday he’s launching a probe into allegations that TikTok censored content critical of President Trump.
The Democrat, one of Mr. Trump’s most vocal critics, said on social media, “It’s time to investigate. I am launching a review into whether TikTok is violating state law by censoring Trump-critical content.”
TikTok announced last week it had established a new joint venture to operate its U.S. business that would reduce its Chinese ownership to 19.9 percent and put majority control in the hands of American businesses, including allies of Mr. Trump.
Washington has long sought to tighten control on TikTok, citing national security concerns over the platform’s Beijing-based parent company ByteDance.
“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,” Newsom’s office wrote on social media.
Newsom shared a screenshot appearing to show a TikTok user unable to send a message reading “epstein” on X because it violated the platform’s community guidelines.
Trump’s past friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has brought intense scrutiny on the president.
But in a statement, TikTok blamed ongoing technical difficulties for content-related issues.