TikTok's First Crisis Under New US Ownership

Timing in tech is everything—and TikTok's timing couldn't be worse. Just days after transferring control of its US operations to majority-American investors, the platform is experiencing widespread service outages that have left over 100 million American users frustrated and suspicious.

What started as technical glitches has morphed into something far more concerning: allegations of political censorship that strike at the heart of digital free speech.

When 'Technical Issues' Feel Political

Since Sunday, American TikTok users have reported problems uploading videos, viewing content, and receiving their usual engagement metrics. Downdetector, which tracks real-time service disruptions, shows a surge in outage reports starting early Monday morning, with services "not yet fully restored for all users."

But it's not just any content that's affected. Georgetown University law professor Steve Vladeck posted on Bluesky that his video criticizing the Department of Homeland Security's warrantless home entry powers in immigration cases has been stuck "under review" for nine hours—an unusually long time for the platform's typically rapid content processing.

The pattern has caught the attention of Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, who called the situation "at the top of the list" of current threats to democracy. When users can't share content about federal immigration operations—particularly those in Minneapolis that resulted in fatal shootings of US citizens by ICE agents—the line between technical failure and political suppression becomes uncomfortably blurred.

Oracle's Shadow Over the Algorithm

TikTok attributes the problems to "a power outage at a US data center" and insists there's no censorship involved. But users aren't buying it, and for good reason. The company that's been hosting TikTok's US user data since 2022—Oracle—now owns a 15% stake in the new TikTok USDS Joint Venture.

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison is a close Trump ally, and his son David's recent transformation of CBS News under Paramount Skydance has already shown how media properties can shift editorial direction under new ownership. Conservative pundit Bari Weiss now helms CBS News, and critics argue the network's coverage has become friendlier to the Trump administration.

The precedent has TikTok users worried. Actress Megan Stalter announced she was deleting the app after failing to upload ICE-related content, urging others to follow suit. "I've just deleted my TikTok account permanently. This is UNACCEPTABLE!" wrote one user on Bluesky, while another declared: "It's part of the Ellison empire. I won't have anything to do with TikTok. Or CBS News."

The Algorithm's New Masters

The most concerning aspect of TikTok's ownership transfer isn't just who's in charge—it's what they plan to do with that power. The new joint venture announced it would "retrain, test, and update the content recommendation algorithm on US user data." Translation: American users' feeds could soon reflect their new owners' priorities rather than organic engagement patterns.

This represents a fundamental shift in how social media operates. Algorithms have always been black boxes, but at least they were optimized for engagement and ad revenue. Now, they could be optimized for political influence.

The company has already updated its privacy policy to collect more types of user data and launched new digital properties, including a standalone website and X account. But many details about the new structure remain murky. Some job listings on the joint venture's website appear to have been posted before the ownership transfer was even announced, raising questions about how much has actually changed.

A Test of Digital Democracy

The outage comes at a critical moment for American digital rights. With over 100 million US users, TikTok isn't just an app—it's a primary news source for younger Americans and a vital platform for political discourse. When that platform experiences "technical difficulties" precisely when users try to share content critical of government operations, it tests the boundaries of acceptable coincidence.

TikTok maintains that the issues are purely technical and temporary. The company says new posts may take longer to publish and circulate through the recommendation algorithm while they work with their data center partner to restore full service. But without a timeline for restoration, users are left wondering whether this is the new normal.