TikTok announced on Thursday its decision to prohibit content promoting Osama bin Laden’s 2002 letter, which outlined justifications for attacks against Americans. The move comes as discussions about the two-decade-old letter gained traction on the platform amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, with some Western users praising its contents.
The letter, penned after the 9/11 attacks, criticized U.S. support for Israel, accused Americans of financing Palestinian “oppression,” and included antisemitic remarks. TikTok stated that content promoting the letter violates its rules on supporting terrorism, denying reports that it was trending on the platform.
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A search for “Letter to America” on TikTok yielded no results, with a notice stating the phrase may be associated with content violating guidelines. U.S. lawmakers, including Democratic Representative Josh Gottheimer, had previously criticized TikTok, accusing it of spreading pro-terrorist propaganda.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates condemned the promotion of bin Laden’s antisemitic lies and terrorism. The Guardian also removed the full text of the letter from its website, redirecting readers to the original news article due to concerns about the letter being shared on social media without proper context.
TikTok emphasized its commitment to removing content violating policies against misinformation and violence. However, gaining a comprehensive understanding of content prevalence on TikTok remains challenging due to limited external access to its data, according to Renee DiResta, a research manager at Stanford Internet Observatory.
