“TikTok Down! Just tried to use the app and nothing is working??” A user posted on Reddit. Another user fired back with a witty retort,
“They better fix my algorithm.”
Around 4:15 p.m. EDT, TikTok users started reporting an outage on DownDetector that rose to 32,000 by 4:45 pm EDT.
Among the outage reports, 78% of TikTok users reported app malfunctions, 21% of users pointed to server issues, and 1% of users reported problems with the website. Notably, these figures only represent the outage number reported by people on the DownDetector. Meanwhile, the actual number of affected users could be significantly higher.
US Potentially Imposing a Complete Ban on TikTok
The United States, home to one of the world's largest TikTok audiences at roughly 135.79 million, is already facing a potential TikTok ban owing to national security concerns. The Chinese-owned platform faces allegations that user data could be accessed by the Chinese government. President Trump has extended the ban date twice, hoping for the sale of the platform to a non-Chinese buyer.
In 2024, former President Biden signed a law requiring that by January 19, 2025, ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, has to dissociate from operating TikTok in the U.S. or see the app outlawed altogether.
Considering the massive number of users of TikTok, on January 20, Donald Trump signed an executive order that paused enforcement of the ban for 75 days. In April, Trump extended that pause by a further 75 days.
Fewer US citizens want a TikTok Ban
According to Pew Research Center, a recent survey showed that fewer US adults find the platform a threat to national security. In the survey of over 5000 US adults, 49% of the US citizens consider the platform a threat to national security, compared to 59% in March 2023. The study also shows a decline in public support for the TikTok ban, with 34% of US adults supporting the social media platform ban, which was 50% in 2023.
The survey provided four reasons to the US citizens, highlighting the potential rationale behind their support for the ban. According to the findings of the Pew Research Center, 83% of US citizens consider TikTok a threat to data security, while 75% showed their concern over Chinese ownership. Other than these major concerns, 54% of US citizens opined that TikTok is a source of misinformation, while 46% of Americans believe that this platform should be banned because US citizens spend too much time on it.
TikTok Alternatives
As the potential ban of TikTok is looming, TikTok users have time to switch to alternative platforms. Those users who want to continue using TikTok can switch to the VPN option, but there are fewer chances for them to sustain their US followers. For TikTok creators, Meta's Instagram Reels are a viable option, considering their popularity and usage in the US.
Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Market data, tax rules, and prices can change after the article date. TECHi and its authors may hold positions in securities or digital assets mentioned. Always conduct your own research and consult a licensed financial, tax, or legal professional before making decisions.
About the Author
Naba Fatima covers AI models and the software that keeps chip demand locked in. She has written about Kimi K3's low API pricing and missing open weights, Qualcomm's $3.9 billion move against Nvidia's CUDA ecosystem and Nvidia's context-memory advantage in AI data centers.
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