TikTok's U.S. operations have encountered significant service disruptions following a power outage at a U.S. data center. Users have reported issues such as feeds displaying older videos, pauses during content playback, sound synchronization problems, and difficulties uploading videos. These disruptions began on January 25, 2026, coinciding with the recent establishment of the TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, a majority American-owned entity formed to address national security concerns and ensure the app's continued operation in the U.S. (washingtonpost.com)
The TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, finalized on January 22, 2026, is led by a consortium including Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX, each holding a 15% stake. ByteDance retains a 19.9% stake in the joint venture. (washingtonpost.com) The venture is responsible for U.S. data protection, algorithm security, content moderation, and software assurance. (macrumors.com)
In response to the service disruptions, the TikTok USDS Joint Venture's official account on X (formerly Twitter) stated, "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." (techcrunch.com)
As of January 26, 2026, users continue to experience issues, with over 1,000 reports of problems, though this is fewer than the nearly 8,000 reports from the previous evening. The timing of these disruptions coincides with increased scrutiny of TikTok's updated terms and conditions, particularly concerning data collection and content moderation policies. (techcrunch.com)
The TikTok USDS Joint Venture is actively working to resolve these issues and stabilize the service. Users are advised to monitor official channels for updates and to report any ongoing problems to TikTok support.
TikTok Finalizes U.S. Joint Venture Amid Service Disruptions:
- TikTok divestiture deal closes, Published on Thursday, January 22
- TikTok finalizes deal creating US version, Published on Friday, January 23
- Future sealed: TikTok, US agree on 'Joint Venture' to remain accessible to users, Published on Friday, January 23