TikTok says that its video-making platform is back up and running like it should after users worldwide feared the Chinese-owned entity was on the verge of being erased completely due to a glitch.
‘Earlier today, some of our users experienced app issues around notifications, the display of likes and view counts, and trouble loading videos on some pages of the app,’ TikTok told The Verge on Thursday.
‘The issues appear to have been caused by higher traffic than normal on our servers in Virginia, causing temporary service disruptions.
‘We’ve resolved the problem and are investigating the cause, and will share updates as they become available.’
On its Twitter page, TikTok’s support account tweeted: ‘Issue update: We’re back in action. Thanks for your patience today!’
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But the social media platform released a statement on Twitter saying that it was ‘back in action’
Earlier on Thursday, tens of thousands of users across the globe experienced issues with the popular video sharing app.
Videos with thousands of likes were shown with just zero, sparking a frenzy on Twitter where users have flocked to share their frustrations.
However, some had raised concerns that TikTok may have completely shut down, as there has been rumors in the past that it would one day come to an end amid increased governmental scrutiny.
Shortly after reports surfaced, TikTok addressed the outage on Twitter: ‘Hi TikTok community! We’re aware that some users are experiencing app issues – working to quickly fix things, and we’ll share updates here!’
The outage seems to have started around 2pm ET, with more than 17,000 users reporting issues on Downdetector, a site that monitors outages for online sites, services and apps.
The issues first arose in parts of the US and UK, but quickly affected users around the world.
Users were sharing the issues on Twitter, with many noting all of their likes are gone, while others believed TikTok has been officially banned.
Others reported issues logging into their accounts or even losing their profile altogether.
A user wrote on Downdetector: ‘guess it’s time to say bye bye to TikTok.’
Although all likes disappeared, users still have comments left by other members.
Rumors that the popular app is shutting down has been circulating the web for years.
One instance occurred in 2018, when a tweet appearing to be from the verified TikTok profile surfaced bluntly that the app would be shutting down on October 26, 2018.
The screenshot said: ‘TikTok will be shutting down on October 26, 2018. Due to the negativity going on our network. It was fun while it lasted. A big thank you from everyone at TikTok!’
TikTok allows its users to publish short-form mobile videos and showcase their creativity to the app’s 800 million members. With the outage, many users felt lost without being able to use the appAnd just this past January, the social media giant was again said to pull the plug on its service.
TikTok allows its users to publish short-form mobile videos and showcase their creativity to the app’s 800 million members.
However, the Chinese firm has come under fire as being a threat to national security in the US.
On Monday, Secratary of State Mike Pompeo said the US is ‘looking into’ banning TikTok.
Pompeo told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham that he and President Trump are taking claims that the app collects users’ cellphone data and then shares the information directly with Beijing ‘very seriously’.
The comments were made by Pompeo when quizzed about whether the United States should be considering a ban on Chinese social media apps, ‘especially TikTok.’
‘With respect to Chinese apps on people’s cell phones, I can assure you the United States will get this one right,’ Pompeo said.
‘I don’t want to get out in front of the President [Donald Trump], but it’s something we’re looking at.’
The top Washington diplomat added that Americans should only download the app ‘if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.’
Source: Dailymail
