TikTok back online after users report outage

App crashes for second time in a week

TikTok users are back online after the app went down for the second time in a week.

A third-party service monitoring website said there were problems at TikTok with server connections, the app and user profiles.

Tens of thousands of users worldwide reported buffering, profile errors and internet connectivity issues that lasted about an hour.

The Chinese-owned short-form video-hosting service has not yet commented.

But on Twitter, TikTok users posted memes, appropriately, rather than comments.

It was the second crash the app had experienced in a week.

The server connection told some users there was no internet connection, while other users were unable to refresh their feed.

Also earlier this week, rival video app Instagram was down for four hours when some accounts were suspended.

In July, TikTok’s global chief security officer Roland Cloutier, who oversaw cybersecurity, stepped down from his role but stayed at the company.

On Thursday, TikTok told its UK and European users that their data would be accessible by some employees in China, admitting for the first time that the data isn’t just locally stored amid concerns of potential misuse.

An increasing number of US adults say they regularly get their news from TikTok, according to research last month, despite growing concerns of the viral video app being a vector for misinformation.

A survey by Pew Research Center revealed that more than a quarter of adults under 30 now consume news through the Chinese-owned social media giant, compared to just 9 per cent in 2020.