TIKTOK SUSPENDS MUSK DOCUMENTARY ACCOUNT

TikTok permanently suspended the promotional account for *Musk*, Alex Gibney’s documentary about Elon Musk. The film’s distributor, Bleecker Street, received notice on Friday afternoon that a permanent suspension was imminent. TikTok told the producers that the account had committed “political-policy violations”, but did not identify the posts or rules involved. The three-hour, 52-minute film presents a critical account of Musk. The film had a limited preview, while accounts differ on whether its nationwide release had begun when TikTok removed the account.

TikTok had already declined to carry paid adverts for the film. YouTube, Google and Meta initially rejected adverts, then reversed their decisions; Google described its decision as an error. X also continued to refuse the film’s adverts and, according to an earlier account, would not accept adverts for other films on Bleecker Street’s forthcoming schedule. Shortly before TikTok removed the account, it urged viewers to see the film “before it gets shut down.” TikTok’s published rules prohibit paid political advertising and set separate restrictions for government, politician and political party accounts.

Larry Ellison appears in *Musk* through a text message offering to help fund Musk’s purchase of Twitter. Oracle, which Ellison largely controls, holds a 15% stake in the consortium that owns TikTok’s US operation. TikTok has not publicly identified the conduct behind the suspension or responded to requests for comment. Bleecker Street has not responded to a request for comment about the account’s removal.