Is TikTok censoring content based on Chinese government directives?

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TikTok's Content Censorship Under Scrutiny by US Senator

Senator Marco Rubio has requested a US national security panel to examine the acquisition of Musical.ly by TikTok's owner, Beijing ByteDance Technology Co. This request stems from allegations that TikTok is being used by the Chinese government to censor politically sensitive content within the United States. While a US TikTok spokeswoman asserts that US user data is stored domestically and the Chinese government lacks jurisdiction and does not direct content censorship, Rubio claims growing evidence suggests otherwise.
Request for National Security Review

Senator Rubio has formally asked the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to review ByteDance's acquisition of Musical.ly. CFIUS is responsible for scrutinising mergers and stock purchases to safeguard national security. Rubio's letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin highlights concerns that Chinese-owned applications are increasingly employed for censorship and to stifle open discourse on topics deemed sensitive by the Chinese government.
Allegations of Censorship

Rubio has stated that there is mounting evidence indicating that TikTok in the US is censoring content that does not align with the directives of the Chinese government. He expressed that China is leveraging these applications to further its foreign policy objectives and suppress freedom of speech and expression globally. This concern is underscored by the fact that ByteDance's original app, Douyin, which is exclusively available in China, adheres to local censorship regulations.
TikTok's Defense and Data Handling

In response to these allegations, a US-based spokeswoman for TikTok stated that all US user data is stored within the United States. She further clarified that the Chinese government does not request TikTok to censor content and, furthermore, would not possess the jurisdiction to do so, as TikTok does not operate within China. This statement directly counters the senator's assertions regarding Chinese government influence over content moderation on the platform for US users.
Background of the Acquisition

ByteDance acquired Musical.ly for close to US$1 billion in December 2017. Subsequently, Musical.ly users were transitioned to a revised version of ByteDance's TikTok app, which serves markets outside of China. Both Musical.ly, launched in 2014, and TikTok, introduced in 2016, are platforms enabling users to create and share short videos featuring singing and dancing, often set to popular music and augmented with special effect filters.

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Is TikTok censoring content based on Chinese government directives?

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