• California Governor Gavin Newsom accuses TikTok of suppressing anti-Trump content.
• Investigation follows TikTok's new U.S.-owned joint venture deal aimed at securing user data.
• Reports indicate users experiencing low or zero views on anti-Trump videos.
• TikTok attributes issues to a power outage at a U.S. data center causing system failures.
• Newsom calls for a statewide legal review to assess violations against California law.

California Governor Gavin Newsom publicly accused TikTok of suppressing content critical of President Donald Trump, launching a review to investigate whether the platform's content moderation practices violate state law. This move aligns with the recent deal made by TikTok's owner, ByteDance, to create a majority U.S.-owned joint venture aimed at securing data and averting a ban on the popular app, used by over 200 million Americans, according to Channel News Asia, Reuters, and Los Angeles Times.

The accusations arose after reports surfaced, mentioning that videos critical of Trump, including those concerning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), were experiencing abnormally low or zero views. Newsom's office stated they had "independently confirmed instances" of suppressed content, emphasizing the governor's call for the California Department of Justice to evaluate potential violations of state law by TikTok. This scrutiny intensified after a spike in complaints about view suppression from users, according to Channel News Asia, Reuters, and Los Angeles Times.

Following these allegations, TikTok attributed some of the issues to a "cascading systems failure" linked to a power outage affecting their U.S. data center. Users were advised of potential technical problems, including slower response times and view count discrepancies. This announcement coincided with criticisms by several online personalities experiencing similar issues with their content, raising concerns about whether the problems were purely technical or indicative of more significant censorship. TikTok's statement highlighted ongoing issues while denying any deliberate suppressive practices, according to Channel News Asia and Reuters.

As the inquiry progresses, several political figures have voiced their frustration regarding TikTok's handling of content moderation, alleging that it has become "state-controlled media". State Senator Scott Wiener noted discrepancies in views on anti-Trump content versus regular postings which gained significant interaction. This situation poses ongoing implications for TikTok as it navigates political pressures while striving to maintain user trust amidst allegations of content manipulation, as outlined by Channel News Asia, Reuters, and Los Angeles Times.