TikTok's first week under US ownership was plagued by technical outages blamed on a winter storm, widespread accusations of censoring content critical of federal immigration agents and Donald Trump, and a significant drop in user trust leading to an exodus to competitor apps.
After its sale by Chinese parent ByteDance to US investors, including Oracle, on January 22, TikTok's first week as an American-owned entity was tumultuous. The app immediately faced scrutiny for altering its privacy policy to allow more extensive data collection, raising suspicions among users. This was followed by severe technical outages, with users reporting inability to upload videos or receiving zero views. Initially, these issues coincided with a major winter storm that crippled Oracle datacenters, which TikTok later cited as the cause. However, the timing also led to widespread accusations of censorship, particularly concerning videos critical of federal immigration agents following a protest-related killing. Prominent figures like Billie Eilish and California Senator Scott Weiner joined the outcry, leading to media attention and a Democratic senator tweeting about a 'threat to democracy.' Further escalating the controversy, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced an investigation into claims that TikTok was censoring anti-Donald Trump content. These events severely damaged user trust, prompting an exodus to alternative platforms like Upscrolled, which surged to the top of app store charts. TikTok's own rankings plummeted, and downloads of VPNs also increased, signaling a broader fear of digital surveillance. Despite its global user base making a complete disappearance unlikely, this disastrous debut has significantly harmed TikTok's reputation and user loyalty, setting a challenging precedent for its future in the US.
