TikTok restores ad account for 'Musk' documentary after brief suspension
What's the story
TikTok has restored the promotional account of the documentary Musk, after informing its distributor about the "permanent suspension" on Friday. The decision to suspend the account was described as an "error" by a TikTok spokesperson in a conversation with The Verge. The move comes as a relief for Bleecker Street, the distributor of the doc, who expressed disappointment over the timing of this incident ahead of its premiere during the weekend.
Trailer ban
Social media platforms rejected trailer over political content
Last month, several social media platforms including YouTube, Instagram, Meta, TikTok, and X (owned by Elon Musk himself) rejected the trailer of Musk.
The rejection was due to its depiction of "political" or "election" content.
However, Meta later called it an "error" and reversed the decision while YouTube said that their system had "temporarily restricted" the video as it was submitted as an ad but had since been cleared to run.
Producer's remarks
Producer criticized social media platforms' actions
Nick Shumaker, the producer of Musk, criticized the actions of social media platforms in blocking the trailer.
He said at Deadline's Zurich Studio, "We've got to be as loud as possible about this right now."
Shumaker also questioned their understanding of the First Amendment, saying it feels like these companies have a skewed perspective on it.
Documentary details
All about the 'Musk' documentary
Now playing in theaters, Musk is described by its producers as "a definitive and unvarnished examination" of the tech trillionaire and his controversial business practices.
The documentary comes from Alex Gibney, who has taken on Musk with this latest project.
Despite the challenges faced on social media platforms, the team behind Musk remains committed to promoting their work.