TikTok has issued an apology after being accused of censoring posts with the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter and #GeorgeFloyd.
Complaints poured in from users who observed that posts with these hashtags were marked with zero views.
Users accused the short-video app of censoring black voices during protests that erupted across the U.S. after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis.
Some TikTok users changed their profile pictures to a raised black fist symbolizing black power while urging others to unfollow users who didn’t support the protest over what one popular TikTok user called “the unfair censorship of black creators.”
Vanessa Pappas, TikTok U.S. general manager, and Kudzi Chikumbu, director of the creator community, in a blog post, said, “We acknowledge and apologize to our Black creators and community who have felt unsafe, unsupported, or suppressed.”
TikTok explained that it was not censoring posts and attributed the problem to a display issue stemming from a technical glitch that affected a wide array of hashtags. In reality, videos with the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag have generated more than 2 billion views, according to TikTok.
“We understand that many assumed this bug to be an intentional act to suppress the experiences and invalidate the emotions felt by the Black community,” Pappas and Chikumbu wrote. “And we know we have work to do to regain and repair that trust.”
The company has also come out to say it would create a special council to magnify diverse voices and will donate $3 million to nonprofits that help the black community and $1 million to fight racial injustice and inequality in the U.S. The company also said it would shut certain sound features on the app on Tuesday in solidarity with “Black Out Tuesday,” a protest by the music industry.
Kevin Mayer, TikTok’s new chief executive officer, in a separate post on TikTok said, “Words can only go so far. I invite our community to hold us accountable for the actions we take over the coming weeks, months, and years.”
