#TikTok users worry new glitch is a sign of app being banned in US

It could be a bug — or it may be a warning sign that TikTok is about to be banned in the US.

Users of the social media platform have noticed that some popular videos are, at least temporarily, inaccurately being labeled to have zero likes. A video scroll of clips impacted by the issues shows that many have tons of visible comment engagement, but no hearts — a ratio which rarely happens.

The app has acknowledged the issue.

“Hi TikTok community! We’re aware that some users are experiencing app issues – working to quickly fix things, and we’ll share updates here!” the official TikTokSupport Twitter accounted tweeted Thursday afternoon.

The widespread problem rocketed the topics of #tiktokdown, #tiktokbanned and #riptiktok to the top of Twitter’s trending charts.

News of the glitch comes after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a Monday interview with Fox News that the US is “certainly looking at” banning TikTok and other Chinese social media apps amid concerns that their content and the data they collect from users’ devices are shared with the Chinese Communist Party.

India banned TikTok along with a dozen other Chinese apps on Tuesday. The timing of political tension around the app and the glitch, which might otherwise be blamed on a temporary coding error, have fueled concerns it will soon be banned for US users.

Believing this to be the death knell of the app, many have come out to mourn the cross-cultural entertainment it offers while others were confused about the glitch — and sought out answers on other social media platforms.

“But actually I learned way more about other people’s cultures and black history on TikTok than I ever did anywhere else,” tweeted one fan.

“I just booked my a– to Twitter to see what happened to TikTok,” tweeted another.