[jwplayer ksH6zuKH]As one of the world’s most popular short-form video apps, it’s no surprise that TikTok boasts a massive user base (and equally massive superstars) — but some fans are growing concerned the program might be going away, for good.
TikTok has spawned a new generation of social media celebrities, with names like Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae, and more rising in the ranks of A-list status.
Despite the huge boom in the app’s popularity, users are growing worried that the application may be taken offline, following concern from multiple world governments over potential security threats involved with the program.
With such information as emails, IP addresses, phone numbers and more allegedly being recorded by the application as per a California lawsuit, India has banned the app altogether, and countries like the United States and Australia are looking to follow suit.
However, concerns heightened on July 9, after some users noticed that view counts on their TikToks had been reset to zero — with no fixes to be heard of.
https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/1281290123800457221?s=20
That’s not all; the TikTok app even went down for many US residents around the same time, causing the hashtag #riptiktok to trend across Twitter in fear that America had, indeed, banned the application within its borders.
https://twitter.com/leahmken/status/1281293916919209985?s=20
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
https://twitter.com/avocadomi1k/status/1281293709582073858?s=20
Luckily, TikTok Support’s Twitter account confirmed that the issue was not related to being banned by the government, but instead was merely a widespread glitch that the company is currently working to remedy.
“Hi TikTok community!” TikTok Support wrote. “We’re aware that some users are experiencing app issues – working to quickly fix things, and we’ll share updates here!”
The tweet followed up by assuring users that a fix was “in progress” and that their “app experience” should “return to normal” quite soon.
Issue update: Fix in progress! You should be seeing your app experience return to normal as we continue to fully resolve things on our end. More updates to come.
— TikTokSupport (@TikTokSupport) July 9, 2020
The temporary shutdown caused a massive stir online, with even stars like Baby Ariel writing, “The fact that we all almost had a panic attack because of TikTok…”
the fact that we all almost had a panic attack because of tiktok
— ariel rebecca (@BabyAriel) July 9, 2020
Despite TikTok Support’s reassuring statement on the subject, many fans aren’t at ease following security concerns surrounding the app, with many onlookers wondering how the site’s top stars will fare if their main platform is suddenly yanked away — not unlike its famed predecessor, Vine.
