Although Donald Trump does not maintain a presence on TikTok, recordings of the president’s addresses that contributed to the unrest at the U.S. Capitol will not be hosted on the platform. The company has affirmed to TechCrunch that its policies regarding the Capitol riots will result in the removal of videos featuring these speeches delivered to supporters. Furthermore, the platform will limit the reach of hashtags utilized by those involved in the disturbances, such as #stormthecapitol and #patriotparty, by reducing their visibility within the application.

TikTok explains that the removal of President Trump’s speeches, which once again contained assertions of a compromised election, is based on a violation of the company’s policy against misinformation. This policy defines misinformation as information that is inaccurate or untrue. While TikTok supports open and respectful dialogue on important topics, it prohibits the dissemination of false information that could potentially cause harm to individuals, communities, or the public at large.

A disruptive gathering with the intention of obstructing democratic procedures in the United States clearly falls within the scope of this policy.

However, TikTok will permit what it refers to as “counter speech” in response to the Trump videos. This involves content that challenges misinformation by presenting factual information or disputing the claims made in other videos. In November, TikTok had already allowed counter speech addressing claims from Trump supporters that the election was “rigged,” even while restricting the use of prominent hashtags used to promote those claims.

In relation to the president’s speeches, TikTok will allow users to, for instance, utilize the green screen feature to provide commentary on the address—provided that such commentary does not endorse the riots.

Additionally, TikTok is permitting certain videos documenting the violence that occurred at the Capitol to remain available. For example, videos that condemn the violence or originate from legitimate news sources may be allowed to stay on the platform. TikTok is also implementing recently introduced optional viewing screens for “newsworthy” content that may contain graphic depictions of violence.

These screens, which were announced in December, appear before videos that some viewers might find disturbing or graphic. Videos with these screens applied are still eligible to appear in TikTok’s primary “For You” feed, but are not necessarily prohibited. Viewers encountering a screen can simply tap a button to skip the video or choose to “watch anyway.” (The company was unable to provide examples of these screens in use, however.)

Reports indicate that videos showing the woman who was fatally shot during the events appeared on TikTok and were subsequently removed. However, these videos were posted by individual users, not news organizations, and did not offer condemnation of the riot—they simply presented direct footage. It is uncertain whether TikTok itself removed these specific videos or if the users chose to delete them.

Beyond graphic content, TikTok will remove videos that attempt to encourage, celebrate, or promote violence, as these also contravene its Community Guidelines. Such videos will be removed as TikTok identifies them, either through automated systems or user reports.

Furthermore, TikTok is proactively blocking hashtags to reduce the visibility of related content, similar to its actions in November. Tags like #stormthecapitol and #patriotparty, among others, are currently blocked and redirect users to the platform’s Community Guidelines. The company maintains a comprehensive list of blocked hashtags to safeguard its policies, but does not publicly disclose the full list.

TikTok had previously blocked tags such as #stopthesteal and #QAnon in a similar preventative manner.

It is worth noting that while Twitter has emphasized its commitment to safety and moderation, it allowed Donald Trump to resume posting after deleting certain tweets. It has also not yet blocked hashtags associated with unsubstantiated claims, such as #stopthesteal, which remains active today. Facebook, conversely, has suspended Trump from Facebook and Instagram for a minimum of two weeks. Like TikTok, it had previously blocked the hashtags #stopthesteal and #sharpiegate, displaying a message referencing its Community Standards. (Currently, searches for these hashtags result in error messages indicating that the pages are unavailable.)

TikTok’s content moderation practices have been comparatively strict when compared to other social networks, as it routinely hides, downranks, and removes user-generated content. However, it has also faced accusations of “censorship” from those who believe it is overly aggressive in its handling of newsworthy content.

This has led users to explore alternative methods to avoid having their videos banned—such as employing misspellings, coded language, or skillful editing to bypass TikTok’s policies. In other instances, creators may simply abandon the platform and direct their audience to Instagram, where content is subject to less stringent oversight.

“Hateful behavior and violence have no place on TikTok,” a TikTok spokesperson stated to TechCrunch when asked for comment on the Capitol events. “Content or accounts that seek to incite, glorify or promote violence violate our Community Guidelines and will be removed,” the spokesperson added.