TikTok apologizes for ‘technical glitch’ supressing view counts on #BlackLivesMatter videos

If you’ve been scrolling through social media, you would have surely noticed a series of black-out images to honor black lives. There is no denying the outrage the world is experiencing right now following the death of George Floyd. Those who have not been able to take to the streets physically are using their voice online to spark a change. At a time like this when the power of social media platforms is taking centre stage, one particular channel has come under fire for its operations.

TikTok said that the videos using #BlackLivesMatter and #GeorgeFloyd hashtags were mistakenly showing zero views due as a “technical glitch.” The company has vowed to support the community of black creators and to a better job at representing them.

While many suspected that this was an act of censorship, the company has denied these claims, stating that the problem was a “display issue.”

“We acknowledge and apologize to our Black creators and community who have felt unsafe, unsupported, or suppressed,” Vanessa Pappas, TikTok’s U.S. GM, and director of creator community Kudzi Chikumbu wrote on Monday. “We don’t ever want anyone to feel that way. We welcome the voices of the Black community wholeheartedly.”

To gain back the trust of its users, the social media platform has partaken in the ongoing campaign today of ‘Blackout Tuesday’. TikTok has turned off all playlists and campaigns on the Sounds page to “observe a moment of reflection and action” in solidarity.