TikTok, the popular social media platform, recently took a firm stance against content promoting the manifesto written by Osama bin Laden, which discusses his supposed motivations for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), TikTok expressed its proactive and aggressive approach to removing this content and investigating how it managed to surface on the platform.
This action was prompted by the emergence of dozens of videos discussing the manifesto, titled “Letter to America,” on TikTok in the past several days. According to CNN, these videos accumulated “at least” 14 million views by Thursday. Originally published in 2002, the manifesto criticizes the US government’s presence in the Middle East and its support of Israel. However, some creators attempted to apply this criticism to the US government’s response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
One video, which has since been removed from TikTok, featured a text overlay stating, “trying to go back to life as normal after reading Osama Bin Laden’s ‘Letter to America’ and realizing everything we learned about the Middle East, 9/11, and ‘terrorism’ was a lie.”
In response to this surge in content related to the manifesto, TikTok took the precautionary measure of removing all search results for “Letter to America.” Additionally, The Guardian, which previously published a translated version of the letter in 2002, took it down on Wednesday after it began circulating on the platform. When first published, The Guardian reported that the letter was circulated among “British Islamic extremists.”
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Addressing their response to this issue, TikTok emphasized that content promoting the letter violates their rules on supporting any form of terrorism. The platform clarified that this issue is not unique to TikTok and has also appeared across multiple platforms and in the media. TikTok also stated that the number of videos posted on the topic is relatively small and reports of it trending on their platform are inaccurate.
This incident comes on the heels of TikTok receiving criticism regarding its moderation of content related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Earlier in the week, the platform defended itself against claims of being lenient on pro-Palestinian content, arguing that both Instagram and Facebook had more posts tagged with #FreePalestine than #standwithIsrael. TikTok also stressed that it does not allow inaccurate, misleading, or false content that may cause significant harm to individuals or society, regardless of intent.
The Israel-Hamas conflict has posed a significant challenge for TikTok, and the platform will likely continue to face pressure to strictly moderate its content, especially considering that nearly one-third of young adults use TikTok as a source of news.
In response to the prevalence of this content, TikTok has taken a firm stance against promoting the manifesto written by Osama bin Laden, which discusses his motivations for the 9/11 attacks. TikTok has actively removed and investigated the appearance of this content on its platform.
The emergence of videos discussing the manifesto, titled “Letter to America,” prompted TikTok to take precautionary measures, including the removal of all search results for “Letter to America.” Additionally, The Guardian, which previously published a translated version of the letter in 2002, took it down from their platform as well.
TikTok has emphasized that content promoting the letter violates their rules on supporting terrorism and is not unique to their platform. The platform clarified that the number of videos posted on the topic is relatively small and reports of it trending on their platform are inaccurate.
This incident comes amid criticism regarding TikTok’s moderation of content related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. TikTok defended itself against claims of being lenient on pro-Palestinian content and stressed that it does not allow inaccurate, misleading, or false content that may cause significant harm to individuals or society.
The Israel-Hamas conflict has presented a significant challenge for TikTok, and the platform will likely continue to face pressure to strictly moderate its content, especially considering that nearly one-third of young adults use TikTok as a source of news.
