There have been reports that TikTok is investigating issues related to users being unable to send a specific name in direct messages, following criticism and a ‘review’ from the Governor of California.
On Thursday, January 22, TikTok shared a statement announcing it had reached a deal with major investors including MGX, Oracle, and Silver Lake to establish a new TikTok US joint venture.
The venture, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, outlined its mission as being ‘to secure US user data, apps, and the algorithm through comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity measures’.
“It will safeguard the U.S. content ecosystem through robust trust and safety policies and content moderation while ensuring continuous accountability through transparency reporting and third-party certifications,” the announcement further detailed.
US President Donald Trump lauded the deal, expressing on Truth Social his happiness in helping ‘save’ the platform, and praised it for being ‘owned by a group of Great American Patriots and Investors’, which marked a reversal from his previous stance on banning the app during his time in office.
Despite the deal being finalized, some users on social media encountered issues when trying to send direct messages containing the word ‘Epstein’.
One user took to X to express: “So the agreement for TikTok to sell its US business to GOP-backed investors was finalized a few days ago. and now you can’t mention Epstein lmao.”
Another user commented: “After Trump’s allies took over TikTok this week, any mention of ‘Epstein’ in DMs are not permitted. Here’s proof. Anyone else is free to try it.”
Indeed, multiple screenshots have shown instances where attempts to send a message with the word ‘Epstein’ were blocked, with notifications indicating potential violations of TikTok’s community guidelines to ‘protect our community’.
Nonetheless, some users reported that they were able to include the name of the convicted sex offender in their messages and successfully send them.
Governor Gavin Newsom of California also announced an investigation, stating he would be ‘launching a review into whether TikTok is violating state law by censoring Trump-critical content’.
so the agreement for tiktok to sell its US business to GOP backed investors was finalized a few days ago
and now you can’t mention epstein lmao pic.twitter.com/qPmus7hjRA
— tori (@intelligentpawg) January 26, 2026
“It’s time to investigate,” he stated.
There have been discussions about the ties between Larry Ellison, the head of Oracle, and Trump, with reports of their close relationship. These connections have sparked further inquiries, especially in relation to Trump’s past ties to the convicted sex offender. TikTok’s US operation has since addressed the situation.
A spokesperson from TikTok’s US operation informed NPR: “We don’t have rules against sharing the name ‘Epstein’ in direct messages and are investigating why some users are experiencing issues.”
On January 26, TikTok USDS Joint Venture posted on X, acknowledging technical difficulties due to a ‘power outage’.
They stated: “Since yesterday we’ve been working to restore our services following a power outage at a U.S. data center impacting TikTok and other apps we operate. We’re working with our data center partner to stabilize our service. We’re sorry for this disruption and hope to resolve it soon.”
Contact has been made with TikTok USDS Joint Venture for further comments.