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TikTok is facing accusations of suppressing content about federal immigration enforcement and a fatal shooting in Minneapolis, just days after the platform completed its transfer to majority American ownership. Users claim their videos about the January 24 killing of Alex Pretti received unusually low views or were marked "ineligible for recommendation" by the platform's algorithm.
The Shooting
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at a VA hospital and U.S. citizen, was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis on January 24. Witness videos analyzed by news organizations show Pretti filming federal agents with his phone when confrontations escalated. An agent pepper-sprayed him and other bystanders before forcing him to the ground. During the struggle, one agent yelled "He's got a gun" before removing a firearm from Pretti's waistband, for which he had a valid concealed carry permit, followed by multiple gunshots.
The Department of Homeland Security claimed Pretti "approached" agents "brandishing" a handgun and "violently resisted," with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem characterizing his actions as "domestic terrorism". Witness accounts and video footage contradicted this narrative, showing Pretti was recording the scene and attempting to help another bystander who had been pushed down by agents. This was the third shooting involving federal agents in Minnesota in January 2026, including the January 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good, another 37-year-old U.S. citizen.
Platform Changes
On January 22-23, TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance finalized a deal to establish a majority American-owned joint venture. American and international investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX, collectively own 80.1% of the new entity, while ByteDance retains 19.9%. The deal was completed to avoid a federal ban requiring ByteDance to divest its U.S. operations due to national security concerns.
Within days of the ownership transition, users began reporting suppression of their videos about the Pretti shooting and ICE enforcement operations. Content creator David Leavitt shared screenshots showing one video received only 276 views while others were flagged as ineligible for recommendation. Actress Megan Stalter publicly urged followers to delete the app, claiming TikTok was censoring her posts critical of ICE. Senator Chris Murphy and singer Billie Eilish joined critics alleging the platform was suppressing dissent toward Trump administration immigration enforcement.
TikTok attributed the problems to "a power outage at a U.S. data center" and described the view count issues as technical display errors rather than intentional censorship. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced he would review whether TikTok is violating state law through alleged censorship. The timing of technical failures with both the ownership change and a politically charged event has left users questioning whether new management might be influencing what millions of Americans can see and share about federal enforcement actions.
References:
TikTok users are reporting widespread suppression of content about the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse killed by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on January 24. The allegations emerged just days after TikTok completed its transfer to majority American ownership.
Videos about the shooting and federal immigration enforcement operations received minimal views or were marked "ineligible for recommendation." Content creators, celebrities including Megan Stalter and Billie Eilish, and Senator Chris Murphy have questioned whether the new ownership, which includes Oracle, co-founded by Trump associate Larry Ellison, is influencing content moderation.
TikTok attributes the issues to a data center power outage and technical display errors. California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced a review of potential state law violations.
The timing raises questions about digital platform governance, content moderation transparency, and artistic freedom of expression in the social media age.
Read our full analysis in Mimeta Memos.
#ArtisticFreedom #DigitalRights #ContentModeration #TikTok #FreeSpeech #MediaCensorship #SocialMedia #HumanRights #PresseFreedom #DigitalCensorship #Minneapolis #ArtisticExpression
The Washington Post - "TikTok faces censorship allegations over ICE shooting" (January 26, 2026)[washingtonpost]
Wired - "TikTok Data Center Outage Triggers Trust Crisis for New..." (January 26, 2026)[wired]
Forbes - "Are new owners censoring TikTok? Top Democrats..." (January 26, 2026)[forbes]
Yahoo Finance - "TikTok Deal Sealed: US, China Approve Historic American..." (January 23, 2026)[finance.yahoo]
Reuters - "TikTok seals deal for new US joint venture to avoid..." (January 22, 2026)[reuters]
PBS NewsHour - "A second U.S. citizen was killed by federal forces in..." (January 26, 2026)[pbs]
CNN - "What we know so far about the latest killing by federal officers in Minneapolis" (January 25, 2026)[cnn]
Associated Press - "Man killed by Border Patrol in Minneapolis was ICU nurse" (January 24, 2026)[apnews]
Al Jazeera - "Federal agents in Minneapolis shoot dead US citizen Alex..." (January 24, 2026)[aljazeera]
The New York Times - "Man Killed by Federal Agents in Minneapolis Was Holding a Phone, Not a Gun" (January 24, 2026)[nytimes]
Politico - "Newsom to probe claims of Trump-critical censorship at..." (January 26, 2026)[politico]
Yahoo News - "'Hacks' Star Claims Trumpy TikTok Owners Won't Let Her..." (January 26, 2026)[sg.news.yahoo]
The News (Pakistan) - "TikTok's censorship debate in US takes internet by storm" (January 26, 2026)[thenews.com]
