> did this this apply to the US version of TikTok?

Yup. China doesn't want you to know about Chinese problems or history, like Tianenmen Square.

> as far as I'm aware did not exist at all when it was owned by China.

Then either you weren't paying attention or the filters were working against you as intended.

You say yes, but do you have any evidence to back that up? I’ve never seen any credible reporting suggesting China was censoring any topic on TikTok.