TikTok Bans Searches For Content Related To Osama Bin Laden’s ‘Letter To America’

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Social media platform TikTok announced a ban on videos promoting Osama bin Laden’s 2002 ‘Letter to America’ on Thursday.

This move comes amid increased discussions on the platform about the letter, particularly in the context of the recent Israel-Hamas conflict. The letter, penned by the former al Qaeda leader after the 9/11 attacks, harshly criticises U.S. support for Israel and includes antisemitic remarks.

In a statement, TikTok emphasised that content endorsing this letter goes against its policies against supporting terrorism. TikTok reiterated its commitment to removing content that violates its guidelines, including misinformation and content promoting violence, having already removed hundreds of thousands of videos since early October.

A search on TikTok for “Letter to America” now yields no results, indicating active enforcement of this new policy.

A Mediaite UK search of the platform found the search term now yields no results. (Screengrab / TikTok)

The decision follows a move by The Guardian, which originally published the full text of bin Laden’s letter in 2002, to delete it from its website. The newspaper’s editorial board said the decision was made to prevent the letter from being shared on social media without adequate context. Instead, The Guardian is directing readers to the original news article that discussed the letter.