Social media as state media

In the past, social media platforms were viewed as engines of social change, empowering everyday citizens to band together against repressive governments. In 2009, during the Green Movement, millions of Iranian protesters relied on Twitter to coordinate gatherings and circumvent government media blackouts.

Social media, it seemed, was an effective tool that ordinary citizens could use to counteract the excesses of the powerful.

Times have changed.

In the wake of a violent immigration crackdown in Minneapolis that left two American citizens dead, TikTok users reported they were unable to upload videos critical of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). On Sunday, law professor Stephen Vladeck reported that he “recorded a video on TikTok about why DHS’s arguments for the power to enter homes without judicial warrants in immigration cases are bunk.” However, after nine hours, the video was still “under review” and could not be shared.

Other prominent figures, including comedian Megan Stalter and California State Sen. Scott Wiener (D), also said they were unable to upload anti-ICE videos or that such videos appeared suppressed by the TikTok algorithm.

The controversy emerged days after TikTok’s United States operations were acquired by a consortium led by Oracle, which was co-founded by billionaire and Trump loyalist Larry Ellison. Politico reported the acquisition “puts President Donald Trump’s allies in charge of yet another driver of American culture.”

TikTok insists this is all a big misunderstanding. It attributed the problems some users had uploading videos to an outage at a U.S. data center. But the timing has raised concerns, and other issues, including the inability of some users to send direct messages that included the word “Epstein,” have not been explained.

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) said he would launch an investigation to determine whether TikTok’s explanation is credible. Regardless of the outcome, the larger trend is unmistakable. During Trump’s second term, large technology companies have served as an arm of the state, undermining protest and dissent.

Apple and Google ban ICE-related apps

During the second Trump administration, both Apple and Google have removed apps from their app stores that track sightings of federal agents after facing pressure from the Department of Justice (DOJ).

ICEBlock, for example, allows users to anonymously report sightings of ICE officers and notifies users if agents are reported within a 5-mile radius. The app does not allow for photographs or videos of officers and the alerts expire after four hours. The app also notifies users that it is “for information and notification purposes only,” and that “[i]t is not to be used for the purposes of inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement.”

In October, Apple removed ICEBlock from its app store in response to a request by Attorney General Pam Bondi. “We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store — and Apple did so,” Bondi told Fox News. Bondi argued that the app was “designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed.”

ICEBlock developer Joshua Aaron told CNBC that the app “went through a heavy review process with both Apple’s legal and senior officials in App review” when it was first submitted to its app store. Nevertheless, Apple told Aaron in an email that ICEBlock did not meet app store guidelines around “objectionable” and “defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited content,” CNN reported. In a statement, Apple said that, “Based on information we’ve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it.” In December, Aaron sued top Trump administration officials, arguing that they pressured Apple to violate his First Amendment rights.

Apple also removed other apps that allow users to track ICE from its store. Shortly after, Google followed suit. (ICEBlock never appeared in the Google app store.) Among the removed apps were Red Dot and Eyes Up. Red Dot, which was removed by both companies, allows users to report ICE activity and notify nearby community members. Eyes Up, which was removed by Apple, was designed to “