Olivia Dunne, a gymnast and prominent social media influencer, has experienced a significant decline in her TikTok @livvy viewership. Dunne suspects TikTok’s shadow ban is the reason for the unexpected drop.
With a combined follower of 12.9 million on Instagram and TikTok, and despite her content typically attracting over a million views, a recent video humorously showcasing her daily life barely reached 170,000 views, prompting Dunne to voice her concerns about possible shadow banning by the platform. This incident marks not her first encounter with fluctuating viewership figures.
TikTok’s policies and algorithm decisions, often shrouded in secrecy, leave little hope for Dunne to receive a clear explanation. The potential financial repercussions of this viewership decline add to her concerns.
The situation raises broader questions about TikTok’s practices, especially amidst ongoing scrutiny in the United States over data privacy issues related to Chinese government access. This scrutiny echoes past actions against Huawei, highlighting concerns over user data privacy and security on platforms with ties to China. For its part, TikTok has consistently denied any data sharing with the Chinese government.