TikTok attributes service outages to U.S. data center power failure

On Sunday, TikTok users reported widespread issues with the application, including problems loading comments and unexpected behavior from the algorithmic For You page. According to user-reported data from Downdetector, the outage impacted users across the country. The TikTok USDS Joint Venture—the new U.S. entity managing TikTok operations—attributed the service disruptions to a power outage at a domestic data center. In a public statement, the joint venture explained the situation: “Since yesterday we’ve been working to restore our services following a power outage at a U.S. data center impacting TikTok and other apps we operate.” The company apologized for the disruption and stated it is working with its data center partner to stabilize the service.

The timing of the technical issues lines up with the creation of a separate U.S. TikTok entity last week. The restructuring was mandated by the U.S. government due to concerns about the Chinese government potentially accessing user data via the app’s former parent company, ByteDance. Under the new corporate structure of the TikTok USDS Joint Venture:

• ByteDance owns less than 20% of the new entity.
• Managing investors Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX each own 15% of the joint venture.

The technical malfunctions fueled user suspicion regarding potential censorship, particularly due to concurrent political unrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Since early January, thousands of agents from ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) have been deployed in the city. ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons described the Minneapolis deployment as the largest immigration operation ever. Tensions escalated further on Saturday when border patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti. The incident marked the second killing of a civilian in Minneapolis this month involving the agency. In the wake of the killing, some users reported difficulties searching the application for information about the events in Minneapolis, leading to concerns about government censorship.

While some users associated the application’s glitches with active censorship, the technical failures occurred alongside a severe winter storm. The massive storm resulted in power outages that impacted more than one million people in the U.S., providing a logical physical explanation for the concurrent data center failure.

Why it matters

The outage coincides with the recent formation of a new U.S. TikTok entity and ongoing political unrest, leading to user suspicion regarding potential censorship and data privacy.