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Congressional advocacy for a ban has referenced Chinese data-mining, but also the anti-Israel content on the platform
TikTok users worry the ban is an attempt to suppress their free speech. Illustration by Mira Fox
By Mira Fox
January 15, 2025
The Supreme Court is set to rule this week on whether or not to ban TikTok, the short-form video app. Those promoting the ban say it poses a national security threat and could allow the Chinese government to mine Americans’ data; ByteDance, which owns the app, is a Chinese company.
But many users on the platform think that’s a coverup. The real reason to ban TikTok, they say, is to suppress news about Gaza.
The consequences of a ban for TikTok users could be far-reaching — entire economic ecosystems have developed and influencers have built livelihoods on the platform. But most importantly, for many TikTokers, the app is their primary source of news. Particularly news they believe more mainstream media sources are hiding.
“Fascist countries ban apps and websites under the guise of threats to national security, when every other country knows it’s about suppressing the free speech of its citizens,” said one popular TikToker in a viral video about the ban, calling the app “the most popular news and media outlet that the government cannot control.”
Since Oct. 7, commentators and Jewish figures such as Sascha Baron Cohen have noted a strong bent toward pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli content on the platform; some lawmakers accused the app of purposefully biasing its algorithm to favor pro-Palestinian content as part of an anti-Israel agenda.
TikTok repeatedly denied endorsing an anti-Israel agenda, meeting with Jewish influencers, celebrities and organizations including the Anti-Defamation League to reassure them that the platform was not biased. The company pointed out that videos with the hashtag #standwithIsrael received more views than those tagged #freepalestine; though there are more of the latter, users were still seeing the pro-Israel videos proportionately more, indicating, if any bias, one toward pro-Israel content.
And analysts pointed out that support for the Palestinian cause, even before Oct. 7, was growing among the younger generations who make up the vast majority of TikTok’s user base — they argued that the app’s videos supporting Palestinians or criticizing Israel were likely an accurate reflection of the beliefs shared by the majority of users using the platform.
Nevertheless, even as early as fall 2023, largely Republican lawmakers referenced TikTok’s anti-Israel videos as a reason to ban TikTok in the U.S. “TikTok is a tool China uses to spread propaganda to Americans, now it’s being used to downplay Hamas terrorism,” wrote Sen. Marco Rubio on X in November 2023. (Rubio is now under consideration for Secretary of State in the Trump administration.)
Former house representative from Wisconsin, Mike Gallagher, wrote an article arguing that the app was “brainwashing our youth against the country and our allies” with “rampant pro-Hamas propaganda.”
And Mitt Romney drew a direct line between his support for the ban and pro-Palestinian content on TikTok. “Some wonder why there was such overwhelming support for us to shut down potentially TikTok or other entities of that nature,” he said at a forum in May, going on to allege that “the number of mentions of Palestinians” is far higher on TikTok “relative to other social media sites.”
But that’s not true; nearly every social media platform tilted toward “Free Palestine” content in the wake of Oct. 7. A study from The Washington Post in November 2023 found a similar proportion of pro-Palestine posts on Facebook and Instagram, yet no one is trying to ban Meta.
All of this means: It makes sense that TikTokers feel as though the ban on their favorite app is an attempt to limit their free speech about Palestine, and prevent criticism of Israel, all in an attempt to influence American thinking away from supporting Palestinians and toward supporting Israel. After all, the governmental figures leading the charge against the platform have said as much.
However, while TikTok’s pro-Palestinian content is likely organic, it’s also true that TikTok has long struggled with a proliferation of antisemitic content. Even before the war began, Jewish influencers complained of rampant antisemitism flooding their accounts; sometimes, it was Palestinian flags dominating their comment sections, but often it was references to Hitler or Nazis or ovens, or memes making fun of Jews.
Platforms shape and inform those who use them, and TikTok’s algorithm is tuned to send users more of whatever type of content they seem interested in, which means that looking even briefly or out of morbid curiosity at antisemitic conspiracies will cause the users feed to be filled with more and more of them.
But antisemitic conspiracies, too, are spreading on other platforms as well. Since Elon Musk took over Twitter, renaming it X and reinstating the accounts of white supremacists and racists, antisemitic conspiracies and allegations have deluged the site. There’s been plenty of advocacy to leave the platform, but no congressional push to get rid of the company.
Given that many of the same images from the ground in Gaza that fill TikTok also appear on Instagram and X, a ban on the video app is unlikely to actually change access to information about the war. Those saying the ban on TikTok is an attempt to limit support for Palestine in the U.S. may be right; it’s just not likely to work.
Mira Fox is a reporter at the Forward. Get in touch at fox@forward.com or on Twitter @miraefox.
But many users on the platform think that’s a coverup. The real reason to ban TikTok, they say, is to suppress news about Gaza.
The consequences of a ban for TikTok users could be far-reaching — entire economic ecosystems have developed and influencers have built livelihoods on the platform. But most importantly, for many TikTokers, the app is their primary source of news. Particularly news they believe more mainstream media sources are hiding.
“Fascist countries ban apps and websites under the guise of threats to national security, when every other country knows it’s about suppressing the free speech of its citizens,” said one popular TikToker in a viral video about the ban, calling the app “the most popular news and media outlet that the government cannot control.”
Since Oct. 7, commentators and Jewish figures such as Sascha Baron Cohen have noted a strong bent toward pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli content on the platform; some lawmakers accused the app of purposefully biasing its algorithm to favor pro-Palestinian content as part of an anti-Israel agenda.
TikTok repeatedly denied endorsing an anti-Israel agenda, meeting with Jewish influencers, celebrities and organizations including the Anti-Defamation League to reassure them that the platform was not biased. The company pointed out that videos with the hashtag #standwithIsrael received more views than those tagged #freepalestine; though there are more of the latter, users were still seeing the pro-Israel videos proportionately more, indicating, if any bias, one toward pro-Israel content.
And analysts pointed out that support for the Palestinian cause, even before Oct. 7, was growing among the younger generations who make up the vast majority of TikTok’s user base — they argued that the app’s videos supporting Palestinians or criticizing Israel were likely an accurate reflection of the beliefs shared by the majority of users using the platform.
Nevertheless, even as early as fall 2023, largely Republican lawmakers referenced TikTok’s anti-Israel videos as a reason to ban TikTok in the U.S. “TikTok is a tool China uses to spread propaganda to Americans, now it’s being used to downplay Hamas terrorism,” wrote Sen. Marco Rubio on X in November 2023. (Rubio is now under consideration for Secretary of State in the Trump administration.)
Former house representative from Wisconsin, Mike Gallagher, wrote an article arguing that the app was “brainwashing our youth against the country and our allies” with “rampant pro-Hamas propaganda.”
And Mitt Romney drew a direct line between his support for the ban and pro-Palestinian content on TikTok. “Some wonder why there was such overwhelming support for us to shut down potentially TikTok or other entities of that nature,” he said at a forum in May, going on to allege that “the number of mentions of Palestinians” is far higher on TikTok “relative to other social media sites.”
But that’s not true; nearly every social media platform tilted toward “Free Palestine” content in the wake of Oct. 7. A study from The Washington Post in November 2023 found a similar proportion of pro-Palestine posts on Facebook and Instagram, yet no one is trying to ban Meta.
All of this means: It makes sense that TikTokers feel as though the ban on their favorite app is an attempt to limit their free speech about Palestine, and prevent criticism of Israel, all in an attempt to influence American thinking away from supporting Palestinians and toward supporting Israel. After all, the governmental figures leading the charge against the platform have said as much.
However, while TikTok’s pro-Palestinian content is likely organic, it’s also true that TikTok has long struggled with a proliferation of antisemitic content. Even before the war began, Jewish influencers complained of rampant antisemitism flooding their accounts; sometimes, it was Palestinian flags dominating their comment sections, but often it was references to Hitler or Nazis or ovens, or memes making fun of Jews.
Platforms shape and inform those who use them, and TikTok’s algorithm is tuned to send users more of whatever type of content they seem interested in, which means that looking even briefly or out of morbid curiosity at antisemitic conspiracies will cause the users feed to be filled with more and more of them.
But antisemitic conspiracies, too, are spreading on other platforms as well. Since Elon Musk took over Twitter, renaming it X and reinstating the accounts of white supremacists and racists, antisemitic conspiracies and allegations have deluged the site. There’s been plenty of advocacy to leave the platform, but no congressional push to get rid of the company.
Given that many of the same images from the ground in Gaza that fill TikTok also appear on Instagram and X, a ban on the video app is unlikely to actually change access to information about the war. Those saying the ban on TikTok is an attempt to limit support for Palestine in the U.S. may be right; it’s just not likely to work.
Mira Fox is a reporter at the Forward. Get in touch at fox@forward.com or on Twitter @miraefox.
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism so that we can be prepared for whatever news 2025 brings.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Another take...
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https://x.com/LightOnLiberty/status/1881038778254655884?t=PZ2Gyznu-OTN1G8039WTrA&s=19
This is why TikTok was banned JUST before President Trump's inauguration.
Incoming FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI covered up ALL evidence pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein's client list. Which would mean that one DAY ONE of Kash being sworn in with President Trump, Kash will have direct access to ALL of it.
He also stated President Trump should RELEASE the evidence (list) on DAY ONE of his Presidency.
It's ABSOLUTELY NO COINCIDENCE our government fought like hell to BAN TIKTOK one day prior.
Since 2017, Anons HERE worked tirelessly for 12+ hours a day, 7 days a week on Twitter to thread original open-source research and showing just how corrupt our government truly has been, dating back to its conception, hijacked by a 3,000+ year old satan worshipping cannibalistic death cult.
In 2019 when Fauci's / ChYna's Covid-19 Bioweapon pLandemic was released, bored TikTok influencers under covid lockdowns were taking note of our viral Twitter threads and what we were doing here on the public stage as well as on Telegram after the TwitLer purges. The Truth movement we were birthing on the public stage spread to TikToka nd Instagram. Those influencers who were scrolling Twitter, started taking our research and uniquely compiled and written viral threads and turning our digs into video form for their TikTok audiences who had NO IDEA The Great Awakening was happening here on this platform.
TikTok reaches MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of EVERYDAY people who are ASLEEP and will NEVER find us here in the Truth Movement on Twitter / Telegram / Truth Social because they aren't looking for the Truth until they become subjected to it and they'll NEVER have a Twitter/𝕏 account UNTIL they "wake up" and decide NOTHING else in Life matters except joining us in the fight to eradicate this evil we're up against.
Example:
Said "asleep" citizens is just on lunch break at work or laying in bed at night casually scrolling through TikTok videos when suddenly they swipe into a video of Bill Gates doing a Ted-Talk talking about the world being too overpopulated and that he can "fix that" to reduce the world population through vaccines and reproductive services.
Which causes the viewer's inner monologue to say, "What the HELL did this Gates dude just say?!"
They then "LIKE" the video and the UNIQUE TikTok algorithm starts putting SIMILAR CONTENT into their feed consisting of Truth bombs they've never seen and didn't even know they were supposed to be looking for.
Before they know it, they're accidentally swiping into piles and piles of Red-Pills they weren't even looking for, leading them into a deep inner-standing of government corruption, Big Pharma evil, occulted metaphysics related to biology worshipped by the elites and many other deep rabbit holes.
TikTok is the Chicago bus stop with the ability to reach passer-by's casually walking and as a result, MILLIONS are being subjected to our information and becoming activated to demand change to a system they didn't realize they were enslaved and chained to and our satanic government creating and releasing Covid-19 shut everything down and lock everyone inside activated MILLIONS.
Welcome to the Great Awakening.
It's a beautiful event unfolding for our species.
Watch what happens next.
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