TikTok is navigating a turbulent period marked by technical disruptions and allegations of content censorship as it adjusts to a newly finalized ownership structure in the United States. The social media giant confirmed on Monday that a "major infrastructure issue triggered by a power outage" at one of its U.S. data center partner sites led to significant bugs affecting user experience.
Technical Glitches Disrupt User Experience
This infrastructure failure resulted in creators temporarily seeing zero views on their videos despite actual engagement, alongside slow load times and timeout requests when posting content. By Tuesday, TikTok reported making substantial progress in restoring services, though users continued to encounter occasional glitches while using the popular video-sharing platform.
Censorship Allegations Surface Amid Political Content
Simultaneously, users raised concerns about potential censorship, particularly targeting videos critical of President Donald Trump, ICE, or mentions of Jeffrey Epstein. These complaints prompted California Governor Gavin Newsom to announce on X that he is launching a review into whether TikTok is violating state law by suppressing Trump-critical content.
Jamie Favazza, spokesperson for TikTok's new U.S. joint venture, emphasized that the platform's problems are purely technical, stating it is inaccurate to characterize them as anything beyond the transparently confirmed infrastructure issues.
App Deletions Surge While User Base Grows
The combination of technical problems and political controversies has led to a notable increase in app deletions. Market intelligence firm Sensor Tower revealed that daily average app uninstalls surged by 130% from January 22 to January 26 compared to the previous 30 days. However, paradoxically, daily average users still increased by 2% during the same period, suggesting the uninstalls had minimal impact on overall platform usage.
Despite lagging behind YouTube and Instagram in U.S. user growth, TikTok maintained its competitive edge in user engagement, with people spending more time on the platform than its rivals.
Analyst Insights on Ownership Transition Challenges
Minda Smiley, a social media analyst at research firm Emarketer, noted that TikTok's ownership change has coincided with significant infrastructure-related shifts, which naturally lead to technical issues. She warned that if problems with video uploads persist or censorship claims continue, TikTok could face more substantial challenges in the future.
"Optics and perceptions are really important in situations like this," Smiley explained. "Regardless of what's actually happening, if people feel content is being suppressed or difficult to upload, that's enough reason for many users to flee or stop using TikTok."
She added that while user declarations and actions often differ—citing last year's short-lived protest migration to RedNote—the perception of algorithmic or content changes could present ongoing challenges for TikTok if these issues continue.
