California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that his office is investigating claims that TikTok is suppressing content critical of President Trump following changes to the platform's US ownership.
Newsom announced the probe on social media, saying the review will examine whether TikTok is violating California law by censoring certain political speech.
"It's time to investigate," Newsom wrote. "I am launching a review into whether TikTok is violating state law by censoring Trump-critical content."
The move comes days after TikTok revealed it had formed a new joint venture to run its US business.
Under the new structure, Chinese ownership would drop to 19.9 percent, while majority control would shift to American companies, including business allies of President Trump, CBS News reported.
The change was meant to address long-standing concerns in Washington about national security risks tied to TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, which is based in Beijing.
Newsom, a Democrat and frequent critic of Trump, said his office has seen signs that content moderation may have changed since the ownership announcement.
"Following TikTok's sale to a Trump-aligned business group, our office has received reports — and independently confirmed instances — of suppressed content critical of President Trump," Newsom's office said in a post.
TikTok uninstalls are up 150% following Larry Ellison's (jewish) take over of the platform in the US.
— Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis (@DrLoupis__) January 27, 2026
At the same time, New Australian app UpScrolled is number 1 on the US Play Store and the most downloaded social network app after the mass censorship of TikTok.
People simply… pic.twitter.com/MfhU4ntMtg
TikTok Faces Investigation Over Alleged Censorship
As part of his claim, Newsom shared a screenshot that appeared to show a TikTok user being blocked from sending a message containing the word "Epstein," with the app stating the message violated community guidelines.
According to Yahoo, Trump's past association with the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, has drawn renewed attention and criticism in recent months.
The governor's office did not say how many cases of alleged suppression it has reviewed or how long the investigation may take.
However, the probe adds new pressure on TikTok at a time when the company is already facing scrutiny from both state and federal officials.
TikTok denied that it is intentionally censoring political content. In a statement, the company said recent problems involving searches and messages were caused by technical issues, not political bias.
TikTok said it is working to fix those problems and remains committed to enforcing its rules fairly.
The company has long said it does not favor any political group or candidate.
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