(NewsNation) — Chris Cuomo’s TikTok account was temporarily banned and then reinstated within 24 hours, raising questions about the platform’s content moderation practices.
Cuomo, a NewsNation TV host, had his account permanently banned for violating TikTok’s “Integrity and Authenticity” policy. The ban came after several of his videos on topics including COVID-19, domestic violence and the war in Gaza were flagged and removed.
According to Isabelle McCauley, Cuomo’s producer, the removed videos included content about COVID-19 vaccines and symptoms.
McCauley suggested that TikTok may have interpreted these videos as misinformation, despite Cuomo’s approach of letting people tell their stories and allowing the audience to decide.
The account was restored after Cuomo appealed the decision and reached out to his contacts at the company. A TikTok spokesperson confirmed the reinstatement, citing their appeals process.
McCauley said the production team had been using workarounds to avoid content flags, such as intentionally misspelling keywords like “COVID” and “vaccine.” She attributed the ban to a lapse in using these tactics while she was away.
Cuomo has since decided to stop using coded language in his posts, stating, “We’re going to write the regular language. Let them flag us and let’s have the fight.”