TikTok outage hits US users after ownership reshuffle, data-center outage blamed

TikTok faced widespread issues over its first weekend since the US unit changed hands, with outages and feature disruptions reported across the app. Downdetector noted an initial spike in problems in the early hours of Sunday, and editors at The Verge, among others, continued to see errors into Monday.

Jamie Favazza, head of communications for TikTok USDS, pointed to a post from a newly created X account for the US joint venture, stating that the current disruptions are due to a data center power outage. The post explained that a U.S. data center outage was affecting TikTok and other apps the company operates, and that the team was working with the data center partner to stabilize services. The message apologized for the disruption and indicated a resolution was hoped for soon.

Users across the US reported an inability to upload videos over the past day, with many uploads stuck “under review” indefinitely. A video uploaded from a US account last night hadn’t gone live even after nearly 12 hours, while a UK upload appeared, but was only visible to editors outside the US. Accounts for major outlets like the BBC and The Guardian showed new uploads only when viewed from outside the US; from within the US, those accounts displayed only videos uploaded before Sunday morning.

Reported and verified issues included:

• Difficulties logging in
• Inability to upload or publish videos
• For You Page (FYP) not personalized
• Problems loading comments
• Various error messages affecting other features
• CapCut video editor problems

Some observers linked the timing to the US operation’s new ownership structure, which involved a consortium including Oracle, as well as the broader political climate, including anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis and related incidents. While governance changes and a new terms of service—emphasizing precise location data and details of users’ AI interactions—raised concerns about potential censorship, the immediate focus remained on the scale of technical outages rather than policy shifts alone. The new owners also assumed control of US content moderation and signaled plans to retrain TikTok’s algorithm using US data.

As of a prior week, the US arm was owned by the Oracle-led group, marking a step toward addressing the long-threatened US ban. The company has stated that it will implement new US-centric policies and data handling practices as part of the transition.

Update, January 26th: More details emerged about ongoing issues and a response from TikTok USDS.

Dominic Preston

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