Community Guidelines or Community Control? The TikTok Censorship Game

By Tracyann Dunkley | Media Watch

TikTok’s algorithm isn’t just a mystery—it’s a gatekeeper of selective amplification. One creator posts a video, it’s pushed to the For You page, garners thousands of views, and is hailed as “authentic content.” Another creator shares the exact same video—same message, same visuals—and suddenly it’s flagged, blocked, and branded a violation of community guidelines. So who decides which voice gets heard and which one gets silenced? Because it’s starting to look less like moderation and more like manipulation.

Notification of video removal from Tiktok

This isn’t about protecting users. It’s about protecting narratives. TikTok claims to uphold fairness, yet its enforcement reeks of bias. When marginalised voices echo truths that make people uncomfortable, they’re labelled “harmful.” 

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But when influencers with brand deals post the same truths wrapped in aesthetic filters, it’s “brave storytelling.” The platform’s inconsistency isn’t just frustrating—it’s dangerous. It tells creators that visibility is conditional, and that silence is the price of honesty unless you’ve got the right face, following, or accent.

Video from Tiktok Explaining Video Removal

We need to ask the hard question: is TikTok policing content, or policing identity? Because when one creator’s truth is celebrated and another’s is censored, it’s not just a glitch—it’s a statement. And if platforms like TikTok are shaping culture, then we must hold them accountable for whose culture they choose to erase. Let’s not pretend this is about guidelines. It’s about gatekeeping. And it’s time we called it out. 

Tiktok Account featuring exact same video and also tagged by TikTok 

And while this may never get the spotlight it deserves—while TikTok continues to bury these inconsistencies under vague policy statements and algorithmic smoke screens—it doesn’t change the fact that it’s happening. Creators are being held down. Voices are being filtered out not because they’re harmful, but because they’re inconvenient. 

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The platform’s silence speaks volumes, and every blocked video, every shadow banned account, is a reminder that visibility isn’t earned—it’s granted. And far too often, it’s denied to those who dare to speak truth without a filter.

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