Problems are plaguing TikTok days after an entity was officially formed to create a majority US-owned version of platform.
DownDetector, which tracks internet and platform disruption, said users were experiencing problems logging into TikTok and hundreds have reported issues with uploading and posting videos.
Jamie Favazza, head of communications of TikTok's joint US venture, responded to The National's requests for comment with a link to a social media post.
"Since yesterday we’ve been working to restore our services following a power outage at a US data centre impacting TikTok and other apps we operate," the joint venture posted on X. "We're working with our data centre partner to stabilise our service."
Last Thursday, ByteDance finalised a deal to set up a majority US-owned joint venture, to avoid a ban on the social media app in the country. More than 200 million Americans use the platform.
Those concerns revolved largely around various reports that US data could be compromised by Chinese officials, though China and ByteDance have repeatedly denied the claims.
Under the deal announced on Thursday, TikTok USDS Joint Venture will secure US user data, apps and the algorithm through data privacy and cybersecurity measures, the company said.
The agreement provides for American and global investors, including cloud computing giant Oracle, private equity group Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX, to hold a stake of 80.1 per cent in the joint venture, while ByteDance will retain 19.9 per cent.
TikTok has been no stranger to controversy since it was founded in 2016.
During the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the platform was accused of bias, with content moderation throttling the reach of certain videos.
Its content moderation has been criticised being unfair, too strict, or not enforced at all.
Adam Presser, formerly the company’s head of operations, trust and security, has been appointed chief executive of the new TikTok USDS.
This announcement prompted the recirculation of a video from May, when Mr Presser appeared at the World Jewish Congress symposium, in which he discusses hate speech and bans.
“Over the course of 2024, we tripled the accounts that we were banning for hateful activity,” he said. “We also have two dozen Jewish organisations that are constantly feeding us intelligence and information when they spot violative trends."
He said TikTok tweaked its policies regarding the word "Zionist" to fall under the guidelines of protected hate speech.
“So if someone were to use ‘Zionist’, and of course you can use it in the sense that you’re a proud Zionist, but if you’re using it in the context of degrading someone or calling someone that as a dirty name, then it gets designated as hate speech to be moderated against,” he said.
Although the comments were made several months ago, some have expressed concerns that TikTok posts related to Palestine could be moderated disproportionately, as the new US TikTok regime begins to craft its own policies.
