TikTok attributes recent glitches to a power outage at a U.S. data center

On Sunday, as severe snowstorms swept across the United States, TikTok experienced significant disruptions, leaving users frustrated with issues such as difficulty loading comments and erratic behavior from the For You page algorithm. For many, these problems have persisted beyond the initial reports. These outages coincided with the recent formation of a new U.S. entity for TikTok, a move mandated by the U.S. government amid concerns regarding potential data access by the Chinese government through ByteDance, the app's former parent company. As it stands, ByteDance now owns less than 20% of the newly established TikTok USDS Joint Venture, while partners like Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX control 15% each. In an update shared on X, TikTok USDS Joint Venture explained that the app's performance issues stemmed from a power outage at a U.S. data center, which also affected other services. "We have been actively working to restore our services following a power outage at a U.S. data center impacting TikTok and other apps we operate," the company stated. They expressed their apologies for the disruption and indicated that they are collaborating with their data center partner to stabilize operations. User-reported data from Downdetector shows that the outage has impacted users nationwide. Given that over a million Americans were affected by power outages during the storm, TikTok's explanation appears reasonable. However, the timing has raised suspicions among some users, particularly as the outages occurred shortly after the establishment of the U.S. joint venture. The situation is further complicated by ongoing protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where a significant increase in ICE agents has been noted since early January. Following a fatal incident involving border patrol agents over the weekend, some TikTok users reported difficulties in finding information related to the protests on the app, fueling fears of government censorship. Additionally, concerns have emerged regarding TikTok's updated privacy policy, which now includes provisions allowing the platform to gather data about users' personal lives, including sensitive information regarding sexual orientation and immigration status. However, as reported by TechCrunch, many of these disclosures were part of TikTok's privacy policy even before the recent ownership changes, primarily to comply with California's Consumer Privacy Act. While the recent disruptions and privacy policy modifications may seem like coincidental issues, they have prompted a broader conversation about social media surveillance, especially during politically charged times.