TikTok Down outage: What is going on with TikTok right now?

TikTok was down in the early hours of Sunday across the United States of America. User reports indicated problems with TikTok since 3.51 am (ET) today, as per DownDetector.

However, as of 7.40 (ET), the issues surrounding TikTok are likely to be resolved as user reports indicate no current problems at TikTok, downdetector status shows.

This came days after TikTok had finalized a deal to keep the popular video sharing platform operating in the U.S. after years of uncertainty, but questions remain about whether users’ experience will change and whether the changes actually address security concerns around the app.


However, some U.S. lawmakers on last Friday said a deal by TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance to establish a majority American-owned joint venture to avoid a U.S. ban on the social media app needs scrutiny from Congress.

Representative Jack Moolenaar, the Republican chair of the House select committee on China, said the committee would conduct oversight of the deal finalized Thursday, adding China "cannot be allowed to weaponize an app to divide and weaken our country. Does this deal ensure China does not have influence over the algorithm? Can the parties involved assure Americans their data is secure? Those are questions that need to be answered."

ByteDance said TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC would secure U.S. user data, apps and algorithms through data privacy and cybersecurity measures. It disclosed few details about the divestiture.

American TikTok users can continue using the same app, according to TikTok. But exactly what American users will see on their TikTok feeds once the changeover happens remains unclear.

The algorithm — the secret sauce that powers its addictive video feed — powering the U.S. backend will be licensed from ByteDance and then retrained on U.S. user data. The act of retraining the content recommendation formula is certain to at least have subtle changes to a user’s personalized feeds.

Any noticeable changes made to a social media platform’s service raises the risk of alienating its audience, said Jasmine Enberg, an analyst for the research firm eMarketer.

TikTok’s press release claims U.S. creators will still be discoverable in other regions worldwide, and businesses will be able to maintain global reach. But how interoperability between the U.S. and ByteDance to maintain a global TikTok experience is currently unknown.