The TikTok logo is displayed at TikTok’s offices in Culver City, California, on January 23, 2026.
Tama Mario | Getty Images
TikTok’s U.S. app, which is now majority-owned by the United States, blamed a recent spate of glitches and content interruptions on a power outage at one of its data centers, pushing back against claims that the platform censors political speech.
Users have been reporting issues with their accounts since the video-sharing app began operating under a newly formed U.S.-led joint venture following months of political pressure over Chinese ownership.
The tense political environment in the United States has led to a rise in viral complaints about TikTok, accusing the platform of censoring certain political positions and even the word “Epstein” in direct messages.
CNBC confirmed that a message containing the word “Epstein” triggered the error message, but could not independently verify the broader claims about political censorship.
Asked about the issue, a spokesperson for the TikTok joint venture told CNBC that the platform does not prohibit sharing the name “Epstein” in messages and is investigating why some users are experiencing this issue.
Sensitivity surrounding the messaging issue is related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Justice Department has released a cache of documents related to the Epstein investigation since December, but has not yet released the entire so-called “Epstein file.”
California Scrutiny
Recent complaints about TikTok have been amplified by California Governor Gavin Newsom, whose press office said in a post on X on Tuesday: “My office has received reports of suppressed content critical of President Trump, and some cases have been independently confirmed.”
“(Gavin) Newsom has launched an investigation into this conduct and is asking the California Department of Justice to determine whether it violates California law.”
Newsom’s office has not provided any evidence to support this claim, but many users have posted videos purporting to show the issue. Freelance journalist David Leavitt shared a screenshot of a video flagged as “not recommended” on his profile in a Viral
ICE refers to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which currently conducts political operations in the city of Minneapolis. The shooting deaths of two Americans during a federal raid by ICE have sparked outrage and political debate.
Hours before Newsom issued his threat, TikTok’s new joint venture posted an update on its X account saying the company “continues to resolve” major infrastructure issues.
“While the network has been restored, this outage caused a cascading system failure that we are working with our data center partners to resolve,” it said, adding that users may notice multiple bugs, slow load times, and request timeouts when posting new content.
The company also said that creators’ video views and likes could temporarily drop to 0 due to server timeouts.
Asked directly about recent censorship accusations, including allegations related to content about ICE, a spokesperson for the TikTok USDS joint venture said the video of the Minnesota incident is available on the platform and had been public since Saturday.
Separately, users reported this week that direct messages containing the name “Epstein” could not be sent through TikTok’s direct message feature. CNBC was able to reproduce this error message when sending a message containing the name “Epstein.”
The message said, “This message may violate our community guidelines and was not sent to protect our community.” Users were given the option to report potential mistakes.
Review of ownership
TikTok faced possible closure in the United States last year after the Supreme Court upheld a law that would require it to exit the market unless its China-based parent company ByteDance sells its business, among other national security-related requirements.
President Trump has since issued a series of executive orders allowing the platform to remain online while sale negotiations continue.
Last Thursday, TikTok announced that it had formed a joint venture to continue operating the app in the United States under new leadership. Under the deal, ByteDance will retain 19.9% ownership, with U.S. and international investors holding 80.1%. Key investors include: oracleSilver Lake, and MGX each hold a 15% stake.
Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle and a prominent Trump supporter, was floated by the US president as a potential buyer of TikTok in January last year.
The Trump administration and a Trump-backed cryptocurrency company have previously been involved in a deal with MGX, an Emirati state-owned investment firm focused on artificial intelligence technology.
—CNBC’s Matthew Chin contributed to this report
