IN a recent episode of Lock and Code, Malwarebytes Labs recounts a curious incident from the week of 22 January 2026, when TikTok for the first time transferred ownership to new US administrators. Users reported changes such as some videos not registering views and direct messages failing to send, with complaints suggesting censorship of topics deemed politically sensitive in the United States, including the Office of Immigration and Customs and actions related to Jeffrey Epstein.
TikTok attributed the widespread faults to a power outage affecting a US data centre, saying they were working with a data‑centre partner to restore services after the outage. Although TikTok reportedly has more than 200 million users in the United States, the episode is framed as part of a broader debate about online spaces becoming more controlled or less open.
This context‑setting mirrors longstanding concerns about data governance and influence, with an earlier warning from Reuters quoting the FBI director, Christopher Wray, about potential national security risks posed by TikTok.