TikTok’s newly established U.S.-owned operation experienced widespread service disruptions starting January 25, 2026, when a winter storm caused a data center power outage that affected the app’s recommendation algorithms.
TikTok users have reported widespread malfunctions since January 25, 2026, including outdated videos and broken recommendation algorithms. The problems emerged during the app’s first week under new U.S. ownership, following ByteDance’s September 2025 sale of American operations to comply with government data security concerns. A major winter storm knocked a U.S. data center offline, disrupting services across TikTok and other apps.
The company acknowledged the issues on X.com Monday morning, stating: “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.” TikTok reported working with its data center partner to stabilize service and apologized for the disruption. While fewer users reported problems by Monday afternoon, many continued experiencing issues.
The timing presents an immediate challenge for TikTok’s new ownership structure. The U.S. government had threatened to ban the app unless ByteDance divested its American operations due to national security concerns over Chinese data collection. No timeline has been provided for full service restoration, marking a difficult debut for the platform’s post-acquisition management.