TikTok's new American owners are reportedly censoring users who dissent on Epstein, ICE
By ljdevon // 2026-01-29
Copy
 
In a stunning development that confirms the worst fears of free speech advocates, the popular video platform TikTok has begun a sweeping crackdown on content deemed inconvenient to powerful interests, mere days after its U.S. operations were formally sold to a consortium of American investors. This immediate shift in content moderation, targeting discussions about the Jeffrey Epstein pedophile network and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, exposes the true agenda behind the forced sale: the transformation of a global platform into a weaponized tool for domestic narrative control. Under the guise of technical glitches and community guidelines, a new era of digital censorship is being ushered in, directly orchestrated by billionaire elites with deep ties to the political establishment, silencing critical voices and burying uncomfortable truths. Key points:
  • TikTok users report being blocked from sending direct messages containing the word "Epstein" and from uploading videos related to ICE enforcement actions.
  • The censorship reports emerged just days after TikTok finalized its sale to a U.S.-led investor group, including Oracle, whose founder Larry Ellison is a close ally of former President Donald Trump.
  • The platform claims the issues are unrelated "glitches" caused by power outages, but users and observers note the suspicious timing and selective nature of the blocks.
  • Legal experts confirm that as a private company, TikTok has broad authority to censor content, shattering the illusion of social media as a public square.
  • This incident highlights a growing bipartisan willingness to suppress online speech, with critics noting that Democratic concerns about censorship only emerged after the target shifted.

A suspicious coincidence or a planned purge?

The transition was swift and telling. Following the finalized deal that transferred control of TikTok’s U.S. business to investors like Oracle and others, users attempting to discuss the Jeffrey Epstein case—a saga implicating numerous wealthy and powerful figures—found their direct messages blocked by an automated warning. The platform’s claim of a technical investigation rings hollow to those who understand how content moderation systems are designed. These are not random errors; they are programmed filters activated by specific keywords. The simultaneous reports of users being unable to upload videos concerning ICE raids point to a broader pattern of suppression. When nurse and content creator Jen Hamilton, with 4.5 million followers, posted about a protester shot by federal immigration agents, her subsequent videos were blocked. She told CNN, "Something has shifted... I just find it very ironic that it’s the same day that it takes over that people are not being able to post their stuff." This is not a new glitch; it is a feature of the new ownership.

The powerful hands on the censorship lever

Who benefits from silencing talk of Epstein and ICE? The answer lies in the boardrooms of the new owners. Lead investor Oracle is helmed by Larry Ellison, a billionaire known for his lavish fundraisers for Donald Trump. The notion that this powerful friend of the president would oversee a platform that freely criticizes administration policies or explores networks of elite criminality is naive at best. This move validates the warnings of independent journalists and researchers who predicted that bringing TikTok under U.S. corporate control would not protect free speech but would instead align it with the interests of the American deep state and its corporate partners. The platform’s statement, blaming a "power outage," and Oracle’s claim of a "temporary weather-related" issue are classic obfuscations, the kind of corporate-speak used to disguise a deliberate policy shift. It mirrors the behavior of legacy media and Big Tech giants who for years have labeled factual reporting as "misinformation" whenever it challenges official narratives. The legal reality, as explained by professors like Jeffrey Blevins, is that platforms like TikTok have every right to censor. This legal truth reveals a deeper societal betrayal. We have surrendered our digital public square to private entities whose loyalties are to shareholders and political allies, not to truth or open discourse. The hashtag #TikTokCensorship now trends on X as users awaken to this reality. The chilling effect is immediate and profound: if you cannot name Epstein or question immigration enforcement on a major platform, what other topics are being quietly erased? This is a direct assault on the public’s right to investigate corruption and hold power accountable. It is a warning that the same machinery used to deplatform conservatives for a decade is now being refined and expanded, with bipartisan support, to manage all dissent. The Great Purge of digital truth has begun, and its first targets are those stories that threaten the powerful. Sources include: Zerohedge.com TheGuardian.com Enoch, Brighteon.ai
Copy