Despite widespread speculation that virtual private networks, or VPNs, could be used to circumvent a nationwide ban on TikTok, few users are reporting having much success with technological loopholes.
A new law banning TikTok in the U.S. took effect Jan. 18, 2025. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via ... [+]
TikTok went dark for U.S. users around 10:30 p.m. ET Saturday when a nationwide ban intended to force a sale of the app to an American company took effect.
Beyond cutting off access to TikTok’s website and app, accounts created in the U.S. do not appear to work in other countries, and users who created accounts in other countries are barred from accessing them while in the U.S, according to The Washington Post.
Before the ban, there was speculation that VPNs—which allow users to mask their true location and have been used to access TikTok in other countries where it is banned—could provide a potential workaround, leading searches and app store downloads for VPNs to surge after the ban took effect.
However, many social media users and news outlets who tried the VPN workaround early Sunday indicated it is not working for them.
The Washington Post reported having only momentary access to TikTok after testing multiple VPN applications on iPhones and Androids, including Mozilla, Mullvad and NordVPN, on Saturday, while NBC News reported testing two VPNs Sunday that failed to access the app.
Some TikTok users have reported accessing the site by using a VPN on a web browser to make it appear as though they are creating an account from another country, according to the Washington Post.
It’s unclear, but the app could be blocking all accounts registered with a U.S. phone number, according to NBC. TikTok could also use a phone’s geolocation to track users’ locations, Jason Kelley from the Electronic Frontier Foundation told Reuters. In India, TikTok users who want to circumvent their country’s ban often need to use both a VPN and a phone with a non-Indian SIM card, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay professor Devashish Gosain told WIRED
Virtual private network (VPN) providers own remote servers that shield internet users’ IP addresses, in order to make it appear as if they are browsing from another location. They’re frequently used as a security protocol when connecting to a public WiFi network or by internet users in countries with content restrictions.
Some VPNs have the ability to collect and sell users’ data, though reliable providers often have privacy policies that explicitly promise to delete data.
Congress passed, and President Joe Biden signed, bipartisan legislation in April requiring TikTok to be banned in the U.S. if it wasn’t sold to a U.S. company. The law is designed to prevent the Chinese government from using the app, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, to spy on Americans—though TikTok has denied any plans to help with government spying. TikTok challenged the ban in court, arguing it was a violation of Americans’ First Amendment rights, but the Supreme Court upheld the ban on Friday, allowing it to take effect Saturday. Users were greeted late Saturday with a message that said Trump “has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office,” though references to Trump were later removed.
Will Trump Restore TikTok?
Trump promised late Sunday morning to extend the deadline for the TikTok sale after he takes office Monday, potentially allowing the app to return to the U.S. market for up to 90 days while a sale is worked out.
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