this post was submitted on 11 Sep 2023
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TikTok is blocking searches for WGA amid the ongoing writers strike (www.mediamatters.org)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/technology
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Users on TikTok searching for “WGA” are met with a screen claiming that the phrase “may be associated with behavior or content that violates our guidelines.” No videos return. Users are also unable to search for the “WGA” hashtag.

TikTok has also blocked the search term “WGA strike.”

Additionally, it appears that TikTok is blocking results from any simple search that includes “WGA” in the search term. Including “WGA” in addition to another word — like “WGA support” or “WGA strong” — blocks results.

Update (9/11/23): A TikTok spokesperson told Media Matters that “WGA has been inadvertently blocked as part of the platforms’ protections against QAnon conspiracy theories.” (WWG1WGA is a common QAnon phrase.) The spokesperson added that searches for “Writers Guild of America” and “Writers Guild of America Strike” were not impacted. Searches for “WGA” and related terms now appear to function normally.

(Thanks mike591, SCB, crowsby, and others for putting in the comments)

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[–] [email protected] 164 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Yet another demonstration of the dangers of allowing a communication channel to be controlled by an entity whose motives aren’t aligned with what the users of that channel actually want / need.

Fediverse is the best collective action I can think of against this kind of censorship.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It’s been wild over the last few years to see authoritarians cheering on corporate social media censorship, as though it will never be turned on them.

Fuck censorship.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Why would it turn against them? It aligns perfectly with their ideology.

[–] deweydecibel 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Fediverse is the best collective action I can think of against this kind of censorship.

The ideal if the Fediverse, yes. The reality of it, with Lemmy in particular, is that we have admins with the power to censor or curate as they wish, and while they may not be able to censor the entire fediverse, if they control a large chunk of it, it still has an effect on what users can see.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

It’s not perfect, but I’m beginning to think it’s the best we will get. It’s probably the best we deserve. So many instances immediately turned into r/Politics. Proving that it wasn’t Reddit which was infested with brain rot. It’s the users.

[–] PP_BOY_ 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The CCP has a more active presence on Lemmy than TikTok

[–] Syrc 2 points 1 year ago

The CCP controls the entirety of TikTok. Here you might have some instances controlled by tankies and a higher percentage of tankie users, but the vast majority of instances are managed by “normal” people.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Oh but didn't you hear? China is a paradise for workers and definitely not capitalist in any way