Users worry that Trump’s tech bros are beginning to enforce pro-MAGA policies on social media platforms. Ongoing challenges around moderation transparency are being exacerbated by US President Donald Trump’s rise to power and visible tech-political relationships, as reports of policy changes on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X deepens long-standing trust issues between users and social media platforms that include skepticism about platform independence and commitment to user interests and autonomy.

TikTok is facing accusations of censoring comments. After regaining access to the platform, US citizens were quick to notice a troubling development, with the app blocking any comments related to the liberation of Palestine. Screenshots of error messages circulated on platforms like X and Bluesky, 404Media reports, fueling accusations that TikTok’s algorithms were suppressing political expression. This discovery came just as TikTok resumed service in the US following a brief outage linked to tensions with President Donald Trump’s 2016 administration, ultimately relieved by Trump as an early order of business during his second term.

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Technical glitch or something more? These spokespersons denied to 404Media any policy changes or deliberate suppression, attributing the issue to “temporary instability’’ caused by efforts to restore full functionality, The company assured users that no restrictions on the phrase exist within its community guidelines. For now, the company’s explanation leaves a lingering question: was this truly a technical hiccup, or is there more at play?

An emerging pattern: Facebook users have also been claiming forced subscriptions to Trump. As the US president stepped into his second term, users flooded social media with complaints about suddenly finding themselves subscribed to Trump’s Facebook page. Some swore they had never hit the follow button, rolling out the carpet for conspiracy theories about Meta’s increasingly overt allegiance. However, Meta dismissed the claims of forced subscriptions, chalking up confusion to how accounts transition between administrations.

Despite their explanation, Meta faced another backlash as users reported being unable to unfollow Trump’s official Instagram account. Since Trump gained control of the @POTUS and @VP accounts with his inauguration, some users complained that they were being stuck with unwanted political content, and that hitting the unfollow button on the newly transitioned accounts wasn’t effective. Meta admitted that technical issues had prevented some users from unfollowing the accounts, but denied premeditation. While the company promised a fix, the incident added fuel to ongoing concerns about how tech platforms will be handling political content during Trump’s second term.

As Trump settles back into the White House, the influence of tech b’naires looms larger than ever, raising questions about their sway over his policies. The scene at Trump’s inauguration underscored this dynamic, with tech titans like Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk occupying seats typically reserved for high-ranking officials. All three of these figures had once vocally opposed Trump, but now stand to gain much from currying his favor, perhaps compromising an unbiased algorithm to appease the oligarch.

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