Pro-Palestine activists and content creators using TikTok to educate and raise awareness on atrocities in Gaza have raised alarm over a potential US ban on the app, which could be coming into effect in the coming days.
The app, which has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide, has been used heavily by activists since the launch of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023. The app has around 170 million users in the US.
Civilians and journalists in Gaza have also used the app to film their daily life under Israeli bombardment, documenting their struggles, including the killing of loved ones, trying to get emergency aid, displacement and key infrastructure being decimated.
In recent days, TikTok has been awash with tens of thousands of users expressing concern over the potential US ban, saying that it is a key form of expression and a livelihood for some, and more importantly it will diminish content on Gaza.
Why is TikTok being banned?
The app will be banned on 19 January unless TikTok’s parent company ByteDance does not sell its US operations and if the US Supreme Court does not step in.
This is because the US has accused China of controlling the app, branding it a threat to national security. ByteDance is so far refusing to sell the app, but this could change if it is eventually banned.
US lawmakers have already instructed tech firms to remove the app from their stores in the US if the ban goes ahead, halting access to new users.
People who already have it on their phone will continue to have access, although, new updates will not be delivered to users, eventually making it glitch and no longer usable.
While some say there are ways around the ban, such as using Virtual Private Networks to appear as if you are in another region and modifying devices, it will not be the same experience users currently enjoy.
‘Activism on behalf of Gaza’
The potential ban has stirred debate among content creators, who use the app to shed light on the latest developments in Gaza.
Guy Christensen, known as yourfavoriteguy on TikTok where he has 3.3 million followers and regularly documents Israeli war crimes in Gaza is one of many who is worried about the implications over the possible ban.
He said a ban on the app would “eliminate the most impactful online space that the pro-Palestinian movement has in the world”.
“By now we understand how Meta actively suppresses pro-Palestinian voices on their apps, including political activism on behalf of Gaza, which makes many of my peers anxious about trying to migrate to Instagram” he told The New Arab.
“The biggest concern about this ban is that the pro-Israel lobby and Zionists who pushed for the app to be taken away from Americans will have succeeded in permanently and irrevocably altering the public discourse in America to fit their interest,” he said.
The New Arab reached out to TikTok for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Currently, around 17 percent of all US adults regularly get their news from TikTok, making it a critical source of information on current affairs.
While some are apprehensive about moving to other apps, arguing they have built communities and audiences on TikTok, activists are vowing to continue speaking up for Palestine on other platforms and in person.
“Another concern that I hold is for the American people, who I believe will lose crucial exposure to the issue of Palestine after they can no longer use TikTok. I’m confident that most, if not all, voices for Palestine will not be disappearing, in fact the general sentiment amongst the movement is that our motivation is renewed to an even greater level to speak out and drive change” Christensen added.
Despite “despising” Instagram, he says he has already been building a following there and has joined new apps such as Lemon8 and RedNote, both of which have seen a surge in users from the US in recent weeks.
“Most TikTok users hate Meta, they believe it lacks character, nuance, and community- and they view YouTube shorts as childish. The platform that I believe will ultimately replace TikTok will be one that empowers its user to record their own videos in an easy and accessible manner. As of now, there is not a single app I would say does this besides TikTok” he said.
‘Spreading knowledge on Palestine’
Others feel as though there is potential on other social media platforms, citing the apparent silencing of pro-Palestine voices on TikTok.
Chriz Kunzler, a UK-based pro-Palestine content creator with over 300,000 followers on TikTok said while the app was key in showing life in Gaza to audiences around the world, it has long silenced content on Gaza.
He said over the last year, it has been “very, very difficult to post about Palestine on the platform” due to the app “long censoring pro-Palestinian content”.
One example he gave was content creators in Gaza such as Mohd Hatem (@Gym_Rat_In_Gaza) having low reach on TikTok despite “a clear appetite for his content” on Instagram.
“I have begun to notice that some of my videos are doing better on Instagram than TikTok in spite of all of the discussions of how bad Meta’s censorship is” he told The New Arab.
 “I think the loss of TikTok for American’s is unfortunate, the app has in my opinion helped to spread knowledge and understanding of Palestine, but other platforms will still be able to fill that role” he added.
The ban comes as Israel and Hamas have agreed on a very fragile ceasefire deal after over 15 months of bombardment that has killed more than 46,788 Palestinians and wounded over 110,453 others.
The war on Gaza has decimated key infrastructure, put hospitals out of service and plunged the Strip into a deep humanitarian crisis.
Rights groups Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have carried out investigations which have determined that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute Gaza.
