New TikTok US joint venture faces first major technical crisis
TikTok users across the U.S. reported app glitches including comment loading failures and erratic For You page behavior during Sunday’s snowstorms, which the TikTok USDS Joint Venture attributed to a power outage at a U.S. data center.
The glitches involved difficulties in loading comments and unexpected operations from the For You page algorithm. For some users, these problems continued beyond Sunday. Such reports emerged nationwide as severe weather disrupted normal activities.
The incidents occurred shortly after the U.S. government mandated the creation of a separate U.S. TikTok entity last week. This measure addressed concerns that the Chinese government could access user data through ByteDance, the app’s former parent company. Under the new structure, ByteDance holds less than 20 percent ownership in the TikTok USDS Joint Venture. Managing investors Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX each possess 15 percent stakes.
The TikTok USDS Joint Venture addressed the issues in a post on X. “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.” This statement specified efforts to resolve the disruption quickly.
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.
— TikTok USDS Joint Venture (@tiktokusdsjv) January 26, 2026
User-reported data from Downdetector confirmed the outage affected users throughout the country. The explanation aligned with broader impacts from the storm, as more than one million people in the U.S. experienced power outages in its aftermath.
Some users expressed suspicion over the outage’s timing, noting it followed closely after the formal establishment of the U.S. joint venture. This proximity raised questions among those monitoring the platform’s transition.
The outage coincided with ongoing protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Thousands of ICE agents deployed there since early January conducted operations described by ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons as the “largest immigration operation ever.” These activities drew significant public attention.
On Saturday, border patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. This incident represented ICE’s second killing of a civilian in the city that month, intensifying local tensions.
Following the killing, some TikTok users reported difficulties searching the app for information about the Minneapolis events. These malfunctions prompted concerns among users about potential government censorship. TikTok attributed the search issues to the concurrent data center outage.
Over the weekend, users also raised concerns about TikTok’s updated privacy policy. The policy includes language permitting collection of data on users’ “sexual life or sexual orientation, status as transgender or nonbinary, citizenship or immigration status.” These provisions specify categories of personal information handled by the platform.