This archive report was first published on 28 November 2019.
On November 28, 2019, a US teenager, Feroza Aziz, found herself at the centre of a high-profile censorship dispute with Chinese-owned social network TikTok.
Aziz, 17, had posted a viral video criticising China's treatment of Uighur Muslims, which sparked a backlash from the platform's users and moderators.
TikTok initially banned Aziz's account, citing her prior conduct on the app as the reason, but later apologised and reinstated her account, claiming it was due to a 'human moderation error'.
According to Eric Han, TikTok's head of safety for the US, Aziz had been banned earlier this month after she posted a video containing an image of Osama Bin Laden, which was intended as satire but violated the platform's policies.
However, Aziz disputed TikTok's explanation, claiming that her account was suspended due to her video about the Uighur Muslims, which was done in the style of a make-up tutorial.
Human Rights Watch has expressed concern over TikTok's lack of transparency in its moderation practices, citing the need for increased scrutiny of the platform's actions.
TikTok has faced growing scrutiny over its Chinese ownership and its moderation practices, particularly in Western markets.
The incident marks an early, high-profile censorship dispute for TikTok, which has exploded in popularity over the past two years, with over 1.5 billion downloads globally.
