Oracle blames data center power outage for disruptions to US TikTok users

Problems affecting TikTok users across the United States stem from weather damage at a data storage facility run by Oracle, the company stated Tuesday. The explanation comes amid allegations from California’s top official that the platform is blocking posts critical of President Donald Trump.

Michael Egbert, speaking for Oracle, confirmed that one of the company’s data centers lost power temporarily during the weekend because of storm conditions. “Over the weekend, an Oracle data center experienced a temporary weather-related power outage which impacted TikTok,” Egbert wrote in an email message to Reuters.

A major winter storm moved through large parts of the country during those days.

The technical troubles users have noticed came after the power went out, Egbert explained. Both Oracle and TikTok teams are rushing to fix these problems, he added.

TikTok said in an X post that users might still run into trouble with the platform, particularly when trying to upload new material.

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Monday his administration would examine whether TikTok broke state rules with how it handles user posts. His office said it started getting complaints and found proof on its own that material questioning Trump was being hidden from view.

“Following TikTok’s sale to a Trump-aligned business group, our office has received reports, and independently confirmed instances, of suppressed content critical of President Trump,” the governor’s office stated.

New ownership structure under scrutiny

Just last week, ByteDance, the Chinese company that created TikTok, finished setting up a new business structure. Under this arrangement, American investors now control most of a joint company called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. This company will manage data security for the video app, which more than 200 million Americans use regularly. Trump publicly supported this arrangement.

The newly formed joint venture pushed back against claims of blocking content. Company representatives said it would be wrong to blame anything except technical malfunctions for the current issues.

Three major investors split equal shares of control in the new venture. Oracle, which provides cloud computing services, holds 15%. Private investment company Silver Lake also owns 15%. An investment group from Abu Dhabi called MGX rounds out the trio with another 15% stake. Together, American and international investors control 80.1% of the business, while ByteDance keeps 19.9%.

On Tuesday, the joint venture reported making headway in restoring normal operations at American facilities with help from its data center partner. However, they warned users might still run into glitches, especially when trying to share new videos or posts.

Trump, who maintains a personal TikTok account followed by more than 16 million people, has said the platform played a key role in his 2024 election victory.

The deal marks a major turning point for TikTok after spending years fighting with American officials. Both the Trump and Biden administrations raised concerns about possible threats to national security and personal privacy with the app under Chinese ownership.

Growing user complaints about content restrictions

Meanwhile, user complaints about content restrictions have grown since the ownership change. Multiple people have reported that certain words no longer work in searches or posts. Some say the word “Epstein” gets blocked. Others claim posts about immigration enforcement actions are being hidden.

Scott Wiener, a California state senator, said publicly that his video discussing legal action against immigration authorities disappeared from view on the platform. His experience matches complaints from many other users.

Growing numbers of people have voiced anger about changes to the app’s terms of service that came with the new ownership. Thousands have threatened to stop using TikTok entirely because they believe the platform is now censoring political speech they disagree with.

The controversy highlights ongoing tensions about how social media companies moderate content and who controls what Americans see online. As technical teams work to restore full service, questions about content policies under the new ownership structure remain unresolved.

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