TikTok's First Week as a US Company Was a Catastrophe
Just over a week ago, ByteDance sold TikTok to a group of US investors, including Oracle, for nearly $3 billion. The app had already gained more than 1 billion users worldwide under Chinese ownership, surpassing its competitors like Instagram. However, TikTok's short-lived tenure in the United States has been marred by controversy and technical issues.
Upon arrival, TikTok altered its privacy policy to collect more data from its users, including precise location tracking. This change sparked suspicion among the new owners and raised questions about their intentions with user data. The updated policy was seen as a red flag, given that major social networks often have similar practices.
The US experienced two major events during this period: a severe snowstorm that crippled Oracle's data centers, which TikTok relies on, causing widespread outages and technical issues for the app. Many users reported being unable to upload videos or receive views despite having significant followings.
Meanwhile, prominent figures tried to use TikTok to express their outrage over a violent incident involving border patrol agents, only to find that their videos were not posting or receiving views. Users, including celebrities like Billie Eilish and California state senator Scott Weiner, accused TikTok of stifling content critical of federal immigration agents.
The backlash was swift, with media outlets and politicians calling out the app for censorship. The Democratic senator Chris Murphy even described the alleged censorship as a "threat to democracy." Oracle issued a statement attributing the issues to technical problems following a power outage caused by the winter storm.
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, announced an investigation into whether TikTok had censored videos critical of Donald Trump, further fueling public criticism. The app's woes have led to a mass exodus of users, with many departing in response to concerns about censorship.
A new competitor, Upscrolled, has capitalized on TikTok's perceived flaws and risen to the top spot in the US Apple App Store and third spot in the Google Play Store. Users are increasingly seeking alternative platforms that promise less censorship, giving rise to a fear of digital government incursions.
TikTok's struggles serve as a stark reminder that social media companies must prioritize user trust above all else. With over 1 billion users worldwide, it is unlikely that TikTok will completely vanish as a result of these failures. However, its first week in the US has left a lasting impact on the app's reputation and raised concerns about its future success.
Just over a week ago, ByteDance sold TikTok to a group of US investors, including Oracle, for nearly $3 billion. The app had already gained more than 1 billion users worldwide under Chinese ownership, surpassing its competitors like Instagram. However, TikTok's short-lived tenure in the United States has been marred by controversy and technical issues.
Upon arrival, TikTok altered its privacy policy to collect more data from its users, including precise location tracking. This change sparked suspicion among the new owners and raised questions about their intentions with user data. The updated policy was seen as a red flag, given that major social networks often have similar practices.
The US experienced two major events during this period: a severe snowstorm that crippled Oracle's data centers, which TikTok relies on, causing widespread outages and technical issues for the app. Many users reported being unable to upload videos or receive views despite having significant followings.
Meanwhile, prominent figures tried to use TikTok to express their outrage over a violent incident involving border patrol agents, only to find that their videos were not posting or receiving views. Users, including celebrities like Billie Eilish and California state senator Scott Weiner, accused TikTok of stifling content critical of federal immigration agents.
The backlash was swift, with media outlets and politicians calling out the app for censorship. The Democratic senator Chris Murphy even described the alleged censorship as a "threat to democracy." Oracle issued a statement attributing the issues to technical problems following a power outage caused by the winter storm.
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, announced an investigation into whether TikTok had censored videos critical of Donald Trump, further fueling public criticism. The app's woes have led to a mass exodus of users, with many departing in response to concerns about censorship.
A new competitor, Upscrolled, has capitalized on TikTok's perceived flaws and risen to the top spot in the US Apple App Store and third spot in the Google Play Store. Users are increasingly seeking alternative platforms that promise less censorship, giving rise to a fear of digital government incursions.
TikTok's struggles serve as a stark reminder that social media companies must prioritize user trust above all else. With over 1 billion users worldwide, it is unlikely that TikTok will completely vanish as a result of these failures. However, its first week in the US has left a lasting impact on the app's reputation and raised concerns about its future success.
It was like they came out of nowhere, and their own internal issues immediately tanked their momentum. I mean, who changes their privacy policy mid-stream just because you're a new owner? 
And those technical issues during that snowstorm were just insane... it's one thing to deal with tech problems, but when your app is literally crippled by a power outage, that's a whole different story.
The fact that celebrities like Billie Eilish were affected by this speaks volumes about how quickly the public turns on a platform when it feels like they're being silenced.
they basically alienated their users by changing their privacy policy to collect way too much info 
like, what's up with that?! 
no videos went up or views were coming in... crazy! 
they're making a killing off TikTok's mistakes 
. it's all about user trust and not being a digital government tool 
. and don't even get me started on the censorship drama. it's like they're trying to create a virtual China or something 
. anyway, guess that's the price of being a US company now 
️. and now people are talkin about censorship 
... it's like, yeah, we get it, tiktok's not perfect 
. but this is just ridiculous 
... or is this just the new norm? 
. they can't just ignore these concerns and hope everyone forgets 
. upscrewed (lol) seems to be cashin in on this drama 
, but let's see how long that lasts 
. Like, just 'cause they're making moves in the States doesn't mean we gotta sacrifice our online freedom 
. TikTok needs to get their act together ASAP and fix these technical issues 
. And honestly, it's kinda suspicious that they made those changes right as they were becoming a US company 
! Anyway, this just goes to show how important it is for companies like TikTok to prioritize user trust and not get too caught up in making money 
just read that tiktok's 1st week in the us was a total disaster 
and now it looks like the app is losing its userbase fast 
guess tiktok needs to go back to the drawing board or risk getting left in the dust 
oh man, tiktok's first week in us was like a total disaster 
. it's like they didn't do their due diligence before making that big sale 
. anyway, it's gonna be interesting to see how tiktok recovers from this mess 
? That doesn't sound right to me. And then there's this huge snowstorm that hits the US and causes all sorts of technical issues with TikTok 
. Like, Upscrolled or whatever... I just don't know much about that stuff 
.
. Maybe it's time for some more transparency and accountability? 
guess thats the power of social media right?
. And let's not forget, Gavin Newsom's investigation into TikTok censuring videos about Donald Trump? That just adds fuel to the fire 
.
& btw, oracle's data centers got hit by a snowstorm so whats their fault? 
cuz they made some weird changes to their privacy policy and started trackin ur every move 
but seriously, social media companies gotta get it together and trust ppl more 
... it'll be interesting to see how TikTok recovers from this.
i mean, who alters their privacy policy after just gettin owned by some US investors? that's just shady 
and dont even get me started on oracle bein all "technical problems" 
. The blame game is already getting out of hand... let's not point fingers just yet 
. The fact that users are already jumping ship to Upscrolled is pretty telling - people want alternative platforms where their voices can be heard without fear of censorship.