TikTok video condemning China's crackdown on Muslims goes viral, sparks censorship debate

A TikTok video has raised an issue of Chinese censorship on platform. A TikTok video of a young woman named Feroza Aziz pretending to give eyelash curling vice has gone viral. In her TikTok video, Aziz was actually condemning China's crackdown on Muslims in Xinjiang. Shortly after her video went viral, Aziz, who describes herself as "17 Just a Muslim," complained she h been blocked from posting videos on TikTok, which recently hit 150 crores global installs. TiKTok is owned by Chinese internet company called ByteDance, which is among world's most valuable startups.

video h millions of views across several social media platforms as of publishing this story and h reached far more people on Twitter, with versions of same video receiving more than 6.5 million views on Twitter. Aziz said she has been blocked from posting on TikTok for a month after uploing her controversial video.

Watch Feroza Aziz's controversial TikTok video

Aziz starts her video telling viewers: " first thing you need to do is grab your lash curler." However, she soon changes subject, saying: "n you're going to put it down and use phone you're using right w to search what's happening in China, how y're getting concentration camps, throwing incent Muslims in re, separating families from each or, kidnapping m, murdering m, raping m, forcing m to eat pork, forcing m to drink, forcing m to convert.

"This is ar Holocaust, yet one is talking about it. Please be aware, please spre awareness in Xinjiang right w," she ds, before returning to eyelash curling tutorial.

A previous account owned by Aziz, reportedly from New Jersey, was blocked by TikTok over ar alleged violation, but app denied current profile h been frozen.

"TikTok does t moderate content due to political sensitivities," a spokesperson said.

"In this case, user's previous account and associated device were banned after she posted a video of Osama Bin Len, which is a violation of TikTok's ban on content that includes imry related to terrorist organisations.

Aziz's new account and its videos, including video in question, were t affected. As of Wednesday morning, post h more than 1.5 million views and 501,900 likes, and 600,000 comments. Two follow-up videos in which Aziz again dressed Xinjiang camps h both received more than 7,000 views.

TikTok under global political pressure

TikTok has been accused of censoring content that may upset Chinese government. Last month, US Senator Marco Rubio sent a letter to Treasury requesting a CFIUS review of national-security implications of TIkTok, saying re is “ample and growing evidence” that TikTok is censoring content that is t in line with Chinese government. In letter, he said re h been questions about why app h so few videos of recent protests in Hong Kong.

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Human rights groups and outside experts say more than one million Uighurs and or mostly Muslim mirities have been rounded up in a network of internment camps across fractious region of Xinjiang. China, after initially denying camps existed, describes m as vocational schools aimed at dampening allure of Islamist extremism and violence through education and job training.

Recently, U.S. government launched a national-security review of TikTok. Several senators have ted concerns about censorship and data collection on TikTok. ByteDance has clarified Chinese government does t have any jurisdiction over TikTok content.

(With ncy inputs)