News Update: January 27, 2026
The popular short-form video platform, TikTok, has been grappling with significant outages across its U.S. operations for over a day, leaving millions of users frustrated and sparking a flurry of online speculation. While the digital rumor mill churned out theories of censorship and targeted blocking, the company’s newly formed U.S. entity points to a more mundane, yet critical, culprit: a power outage at a key data center.
Unpacking the TikTok Tangle: What’s Really Happening?
Since early Sunday morning, TikTok’s U.S. arm has been experiencing widespread technical difficulties. Users report a litany of issues, from an unreliable “For You” page algorithm that fails to refresh with new content, to comments refusing to load or appearing sluggishly, and for many, the near impossibility of publishing new videos. These disruptions have cast a shadow over the platform, particularly as they coincide with a significant shift in its corporate structure.
Debunking the Censorship Claims
Amidst the chaos, social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), became fertile ground for misinformation. Rumors quickly spread, suggesting the outages were a deliberate act of censorship, targeting discussions around sensitive topics like anti-ICE protests or Jeffrey Epstein. Even high-profile figures, including the Governor of California, were observed resharing unverified claims.
However, TikTok USDS (U.S. Data Security) has firmly stated that the problems stem from a power outage. Our own investigations into the alleged “Epstein” ban in direct messages further complicate the narrative. While single-word messages like “Epstein” or even “test” can trigger the service’s automatic filters, using the name within a sentence appears to pass through unhindered, indicating a broad, perhaps overzealous, filtering mechanism rather than targeted censorship.
A New Era, New Challenges: The Ownership Context
The timing of this extensive outage is particularly noteworthy. Just days before the problems began, on January 22nd, TikTok’s U.S. operations underwent a monumental ownership change. ByteDance, the Chinese parent company, finalized a $14 billion deal to spin off its U.S. arm into a new joint venture. This new entity, TikTok US Data Security (USDS) Joint Venture LLC, now sees Oracle, Silver Lake investment firm, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX each holding 15% stakes, with ByteDance retaining a 19.9% share. The deal, pushed through with political backing, aimed to address national security concerns.
The fact that the platform’s U.S. services began to falter almost immediately after this transition raises questions about the stability and readiness of the newly structured operations, though the official line remains a power-related technical fault.
The Official Word: A Race Against Time
Jamie Favazza, spokesperson for TikTok USDS, confirmed via the joint venture’s newly created X account that the company is “working to restore our services following a power outage at a U.S. data center impacting TikTok and other apps we operate.” This statement, echoed in an email to The Verge, underscores the technical nature of the disruption.
As engineers work tirelessly to bring the platform back online, users across the U.S. remain in limbo, unable to fully engage with the app that has become a daily staple for entertainment, news, and connection. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the intricate infrastructure underpinning our digital lives and the ripple effects when even a single component fails.
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