TikTok outage leaves US users frustrated, creators in distress
Since January 25, TikTok has been glitching across the US—think app crashes, total blackouts, and feeds refusing to load.
Over 35,000 people reported issues; TikTok said the disruption was caused by a power outage at a US data center, and the peak coincided with a major winter storm.
Creators were especially hit hard: uploads got zero views or likes, and earnings info disappeared.
Why does it matter?
This outage didn't just mess with scrolling—it came right after TikTok's big ownership shakeup, where US investors took control and Oracle became a managing investor and will host some US data and algorithm functions on its infrastructure.
Now users are worried about more than tech problems: some noticed protest-related videos getting blocked or flagged as "Ineligible for Recommendation," sparking fresh concerns about censorship and how TikTok handles content going forward.