Techcrunch
TikTok has attributed recent widespread app glitches, including issues with comments and the For You page algorithm, to a power outage at a U.S. data center. The company is working with its data center partner to restore services.
AI 生成摘要
TikTok 表示，近期出現的廣泛應用程式故障，包括評論問題和「推薦」頁面演算法異常，是由美國數據中心的一場停電所引起。該公司正與其數據中心合作夥伴合作以恢復服務。
Latest
AI
Amazon
Apps
Biotech & Health
Climate
Cloud Computing
Commerce
Crypto
Enterprise
EVs
Fintech
Fundraising
Gadgets
Gaming
Government & Policy
Hardware
Layoffs
Media & Entertainment
Meta
Microsoft
Privacy
Robotics
Security
Social
Space
Startups
TikTok
Transportation
Venture
Staff
Events
Startup Battlefield
StrictlyVC
Newsletters
Podcasts
Videos
Partner Content
TechCrunch Brand Studio
Crunchboard
Contact Us
As snowstorms pelted the U.S. on Sunday, TikTok users reported widespread issues with the app, like problems loading comments or unexpected behavior from the For You page algorithm. For some users, the problems continue to persist.
The timing of these outages lines up with the long-awaited creation of a separate U.S. TikTok entity last week, which the U.S. government mandated due to concerns about the Chinese government potentially accessing user data via the app’s former parent company, ByteDance. (Now, ByteDance owns less than 20% of the new TikTok USDS Joint Venture, while managing investors Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX own 15% each).
However, the TikTok USDS Joint Venture stated in a post on X that these issues were caused by a power outage at a U.S. data center.
“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 said. “We’re working with our data center partner to stabilize our service. We’re sorry for this disruption and hope to resolve it soon.”
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. We're working with our data center partner to stabilize our service. We're sorry for this disruption and hope to resolve it soon.
According to user-reported data from Downdetector, the outage is impacting users across the country.
TikTok’s reasoning for the glitches is logical, given that more than one million people in the U.S. have been impacted by power outages after the massive storm. But some users are suspicious given how soon the outages occurred after the U.S. joint venture was formally established.
The outage also overlaps with ongoing protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where thousands of ICE agents have been deployed since early January in what ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons called the “largest immigration operation ever.”
On Saturday, border patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, marking ICE’s second murder of a civilian in Minneapolis this month.
In the wake of the killing, some TikTok users said they had trouble searching on the app for information about the events in Minneapolis. The app malfunctions then led to panic about the possibility of government censorship. However, TikTok attributes these issues to its concurrent data center outage.
People had also expressed concern over the weekend about TikTok’s updated privacy policy, which includes language that allows TikTok to collect data about users, including their “sexual life or sexual orientation, status as transgender or nonbinary, citizenship or immigration status.” However, as TechCrunch reported, some of these disclosures are not new and had appeared in TikTok’s privacy policy prior to the ownership deal’s close, primarily to comply with California’s Consumer Privacy Act.
While the recent TikTok outages and privacy policy changes seem to be run-of-the-mill problems with bad timing, Americans do have reason to be cautious about social media surveillance — especially in times of political unrest.
Topics
Senior Writer
Amanda Silberling is a senior writer at TechCrunch covering the intersection of technology and culture. She has also written for publications like Polygon, MTV, the Kenyon Review, NPR, and Business Insider. She is the co-host of Wow If True, a podcast about internet culture, with science fiction author Isabel J. Kim. Prior to joining TechCrunch, she worked as a grassroots organizer, museum educator, and film festival coordinator. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and served as a Princeton in Asia Fellow in Laos.
You can contact or verify outreach from Amanda by emailing [email protected] or via encrypted message at @amanda.100 on Signal.
Tickets are live at the lowest rates of the year. Save up to $680 on your pass — and if you’re among the first 500 registrants, score a +1 pass at 50% off.Meet investors. Discover your next portfolio company. Hear from 250+ tech leaders, dive into 200+ sessions, and explore 300+ startups building what’s next. Don’t miss these one-time savings.
TikTok users freak out over app’s ‘immigration status’ collection — here’s what it means
Researchers say Russian government hackers were behind attempted Poland power outage
Microsoft gave FBI a set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects’ laptops: Reports
Capital One acquires Brex for a steep discount to its peak valuation, but early believers are laughing all the way to the bank
Anthropic’s CEO stuns Davos with Nvidia criticism
Humans&, a ‘human-centric’ AI startup founded by Anthropic, xAI, Google alums, raised $480M seed round
SpaceX didn’t properly inspect crane before collapse at Starbase, OSHA says
© 2025 TechCrunch Media LLC.