WASHINGTON: California Governor Gavin Newsom accused TikTok on Monday (Jan 26) of suppressing content material crucial of President Donald Trump as he launched a evaluate of the platform’s content material moderation practices to find out in the event that they violated state regulation.
The step comes after TikTok’s Chinese language proprietor, ByteDance, said it had finalised a deal to arrange a majority US-owned three way partnership that can safe US information, to keep away from a US ban on the quick video app utilized by greater than 200 million Individuals.
“Following TikTok’s sale to a Trump-aligned enterprise group, our workplace has obtained experiences, and independently confirmed situations, of suppressed content material crucial of President Trump,” Newsom’s workplace stated on X, with out elaborating.
“Gavin Newsom is launching a evaluate of this conduct and is looking on the California Division of Justice to find out whether or not it violates California regulation,” it added.
The White Home and TikTok didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Newsom, a Democrat, and Trump, a Republican, have lengthy been crucial of one another.
Final week’s TikTok deal was a milestone for the agency after years of battles with the US authorities over Washington’s considerations about dangers to nationwide safety and privateness beneath Trump and former president Joe Biden.
ByteDance stated TikTok USDS Joint Enterprise LLC would safe US consumer information, apps and algorithms by means of information privateness and cybersecurity measures, in a deal praised by Trump.
With greater than 16 million followers on his private TikTok account, Trump credited the app with serving to him win the 2024 election.
The deal supplies for American and international traders to carry 80.1 per cent of the enterprise whereas ByteDance will personal 19.9 per cent.
Every of the three way partnership’s three managing traders, cloud computing large Oracle, non-public fairness group Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based funding agency MGX, will maintain a stake of 15 per cent.
The US and Chinese language governments had signed off on the deal, a White Home official stated.
