US EditionAward-Winning Palestinian Journalist Bisan Owda’s TikTok Account Restored After Reported Ban
Bisan Owda’s TikTok account with 1.4 million followers was banned amid new US ownership and policy changes targeting pro-Palestine content, with access varying by region.
- On Wednesday, Bisan Owda, Emmy-, Peabody- and Edward R. Murrow–winning Palestinian journalist and contributor to Al Jazeera's AJ+, said TikTok deleted her account she spent four years building and launched a new page from Gaza.
- Last week’s deal to create a US-controlled TikTok entity owned by new US investors, including firms linked to Donald Trump, prompted Owda to cite remarks by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Adam Presser, chief executive of TikTok's US arm.
- An account with the same username appeared visible in some countries, showing a notice `Posts that some may find uncomfortable are unavailable` and the last visible post dated September 20, 2025.
- With press access constrained, Owda alleged TikTok's restriction impacts frontline reporting, amid at least 207 Palestinian journalists killed since October 2023, and the Foreign Press Association's frustration over Israel's Supreme Court delays.
- Al Jazeera has queried TikTok and is awaiting a response after a TikTok spokesperson said Owda’s account was temporarily restricted in September last year over impersonation concerns, then reinstated.
14 Articles
14 Articles
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TikTok ’bans’ Gaza journalist Bisan Owda’s account
Bisan Owda, one of the most followed Palestinian journalists on social media, has accused TikTok of banning her account, citing changes to the platform’s US ownership and remarks made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The 28-year-old journalist claimed on Wednesday that her original TikTok account - which previously had 1.4 million followers - was no longer accessible. Speaking in a video filmed from Gaza and shared across her soc…
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