TikTok temporarily stopped displaying likes, and users thought the U.S. government actually went through with banning the app.
Videos on the platform, which is own by Beijing-based ByteDance, stopped showing like counts on Thursday afternoon. It followed days of speculation that the Trump administration would try to shut down the app, after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News that the government was “looking at” banning it.
The glitch fueled theories that the American government is trying to shut the app down.
During the interview Monday, Fox News host Laura Ingraham asked Pompeo if the United States would consider banning Chinese social media apps after India said it would ban 59 apps, including TikTok, over security concerns.
“With respect to Chinese apps on people’s cell phones, I can assure you the United States will get this one right too, Laura,” Pompeo responded. “I don’t want to get out in front of the President, but it’s something we’re looking at.”
He added that Americans should only download TikTok “if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.”
TikTok has been criticized for its shady algorithm and data collection. Its user base remains strong in spite of warnings from Pompeo and other officials. In April, the app had two billion downloads.
TikTok assured users that it was “working to quickly fix things” in a tweet on Thursday.
Hi TikTok community! We’re aware that some users are experiencing app issues – working to quickly fix things, and we’ll share updates here!
— TikTokSupport (@TikTokSupport) July 9, 2020
But that didn’t stop TikTok users from taking to Twitter to express (and meme) their concerns.
As of Thursday afternoon, TikTok still isn’t showing likes.