TikTok’s United States app, now largely owned by American investors, said the recent technical problems and content interruptions experienced by users were caused by a power failure at one of its data centers, dismissing allegations of political censorship.

The platform noted that users began reporting account-related issues after it transitioned to a newly established U.S.-led joint venture, a move that followed months of political scrutiny over its Chinese ownership.

Amid heightened political tensions in the United States, numerous viral posts have accused TikTok of suppressing certain political views and restricting the use of the word “Epstein” in direct messages.

Messages that included the word “Epstein” were reported to trigger an error notification, though broader allegations of political censorship could not be independently confirmed, according to CNBC

Responding to the complaints, a spokesperson for the TikTok joint venture said that the platform does not ban the use of the name “Epstein” in messages and is looking into why some users are encountering the issue, along with other technical problems.

The company added that creators may briefly see videos showing “0” views or likes as a result of server timeouts.

Addressing censorship allegations, including those linked to ICE-related content, a TikTok USDS Joint Venture spokesperson said videos of the Minnesota incident have been available on the platform since Saturday.