The controversy over TikTok and Osama bin Laden’s "Letter to America," explained

Videos featuring Osama bin Laden’s 2002 missive “ Letter to America ” were posted to TikTok , leading a wide swath of politicians, families of 9/11 victims, and influencers to condemn users creating the clips.

While some TikTokers really were posting videos urging others to read the letter and getting modest views, these videos only made up a “tiny, tiny corner” of TikTok .

The panic over the videos is just the latest in a long line of social media-driven scares about the dangers of the internet.

The 2002 letter was published after al-Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 Americans on September 11 .

The Guardian removed it from its English translation of the letter, citing the lack of background provided.

TikTok has denied that it is used to amplify anti-American content and propaganda.

Some TikTok users say that reading the letter has forced them to reflect on the US ’s culpability in geopolitics.