English novelist Charles Dickens
(Picture: Getty Images)Fans of the Charles Dickens Museum can now follow it on TikTok after the social media giant lifted its inadvertent ban on its name.
The museum in Holborn, based in the house where the novelist lived and wrote classics including Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby, set up an account on the popular video sharing site but attempts to search for it initially returned no results as his surname includes a four letter word.
Instead, fans of the great writer were told “this phrase may be associated with behavior or content that violates our guidelines. Promoting a safe and positive experience is TikTok’s top priority.”
A spokesperson for the firm said: “The Charles Dickens Museum can now be searched for and found on TikTok. We’re delighted to be able to bring the life and work of Mr Dickens to the TikTok community and have great expectations for the museum’s success on TikTok."
The museum had launched a #freedickens campaign on Twitter, where its account was visible.
In a statement, it said: “ We’ve launched a TikTok, but Dickens is blocked! Charles Dickens is unsearchable because he has a rude word in his name.
“We’ll always support social media platforms having safeguards in place to protect users, but Dickens is a name, not slang, and the Charles Dickens Museum should be able to share great TikTok videos. #FreeDickens
“It’s like banning Shakespeare because his name advocates the use of medieval weapons, or Virginia Woolf for keeping wild animals as pets.”
We need your help! 🙏
— Dickens Museum (@DickensMuseum) March 23, 2022
We've launched a #tiktok, but #Dickens is blocked! #CharlesDickens is unsearchable because he has a rude word in his name.
We're asking you wonderful followers to share our tweets, along with #FreeDickens to show @tiktok_uk that Dickens matters! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/IIegX73W3r
