TikTok admits Epstein DM problem, is looking into it

TikTok claims it isn't deliberately censoring the name "Epstein" in direct messages, but says it's investigating a bug that stops some DMs that include the name from being sent.

"We don't have rules against sharing the name 'Epstein' in direct messages and are investigating why some users are experiencing issues," a spokesperson for TikTok's new U.S.-owned operation told NPR.

The spokesperson added that the company's internal analysis so far aligned with that of multiple outlets and users: Yes, it's happening in DMs, but only sometimes.

The company's response comes one day after multiple users shared screenshots of the problem. TikTok DMs that contained nothing but the word "Epstein" received a red exclamation mark and a stark warning: "This message may be in violation of our Community Guidelines, and has not been sent to protect our community."

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It's not the only posting problem TikTok users have experienced in the days since the U.S. handover to a group of investors led by Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle. Ellison is a prominent supporter of the Trump administration; many TikTok users fear he has essentially bought the platform to reduce or remove access to opposing points of view.

Trump initially opposed a bipartisan law requiring the Department of Justice to release its files relating to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted child sex offender and former close friend of Trump's. As of this writing, the DOJ has released just 1 percent of the material the law instructed it to release by the end of 2025.

TikTok's transfer to a new U.S.-based data center service was blamed for widespread outages the app experienced over the weekend — a weekend that just happened to be dominated by news of the ICE killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti.

The fact that many TikTok users could not upload ICE-related posts did not allay suspicions about the company's new management. California has announced its own investigation into censorship at TikTok, based on what governor Gavin Newsom called "independently confirmed instances of suppressed content critical of President Trump."

In announcing the investigation, Newsom put the Epstein DM problem front and center.