TikTok’s new US ownership has announced that the app is back to normal after a power outage had disrupted several core features.
“We have successfully restored TikTok back to normal after a significant outage caused by winter weather took down a primary U.S. data center site operated by Oracle,” TikTok USDS said in a statement issued at 5:15 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 1.
In a deal finalized last month, TikTok’s US business is now majorly owned by a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX, through a company called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. The joint venture holds the right to store user data and control the algorithm for US users on Oracle’s cloud environment.
Last week, soon after the new owners took over, users began experiencing several app glitches, including longer video and upload load times, missing like and view counts, and video repeats on the For You Page (FYP). Many users thought the new owners were manipulating the algorithm, but the company later blamed the issues on a power outage at a data center.
It took days for TikTok to fully resolve the issues, and the company offered limited updates as it restored infrastructure at the impacted data center. More details came through on Sunday, following complete restoration.
The impacted data center is operated by Oracle, which owns a 15% stake in the new joint venture. A winter storm caused the power outage at the site and “impacted tens of thousands of servers that help keep TikTok running in the U.S.,” TikTok USDS said in its Sunday statement.
“Our teams worked around the clock with Oracle to ensure a safe and full restoration of systems,” it added. DownDetector currently shows no reports of disruptions to TikTok.
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Troubles don’t seem to end for TikTok USDS, though. California Governor Gavin Newsom has launched a review after users complained that the new algorithm was suppressing anti-ICE content.
Additionally, while the platform was down, many users migrated to an Australian alternative called UpScrolled. It even briefly hit the number 1 spot on the US App Store.
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Jibin is a tech news writer based out of Ahmedabad, India. Previously, he served as the editor of iGeeksBlog and is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex information for a broader audience.
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