Is TikTok DM blocking word Epstein in US?

Claims circulating on social media that TikTok has begun banning the word “Epstein” in direct messages are misleading. The situation is more nuanced, especially as TikTok’s US service remains partially unavailable following a data center power outage that began more than a day earlier.

Posts from various users — including high-profile accounts and public officials — suggested that TikTok was specifically censoring references to the convicted sex offender. However, testing cited in Lawler’s report shows that TikTok’s messaging system is currently blocking a wide range of single-word messages, even harmless ones such as “test.” In contrast, using the word “Epstein” within a longer sentence is not blocked and can be sent normally.

Screenshots of TikTok DM conversations support this finding, showing that isolated single-word messages like “Epstein” and “test” are rejected by the system, while sentences containing the same words are delivered without issue. This behavior indicates a broader technical or moderation-related problem rather than a targeted ban on specific names, undermining claims that TikTok is deliberately censoring the term.