How to Get Around the US TikTok Ban

“Even VPNs don’t lead to fraud in India,” Gosain told Wired.

In the early days of the US ban, it was not clear how feasible it would be for US accounts to circumvent the ban. It appeared that TikTok had taken a more extreme approach, blacking out any US app builds – blacking out versions of the TikTok app software that were meant to be downloaded and used by US users. It also appeared that US-connected accounts were being blocked regardless of IP address or SIM country information.

Running a VPN alone was definitely not enough to bypass the ban and get back on TikTok. But apparently using a non-US TikTok account works after removing a SIM (or on a device without a US SIM card/US phone number) when combined with a VPN. Similarly, using a VPN with a desktop browser or Tor browser was enough to load a non-US TikTok account in the US on Sunday morning, although the desktop version of TikTok has always been much more limited than its mobile app.

“TikTok network inspects the source IP of the packets – if the source IP belongs to India, it drops the packets,” Gosain explained about the restrictions in India. “Also, the TikTok app comes with the country information embedded in the SIM card and filters the network connection if the country code is ‘IN’. When we remove the SIM card, the TikTok app fails to detect Indian users from the SIM card, and when we use VPN, the IP address changes and no longer belongs to the Indian IP range. Thus, TikTok again fails to detect that the user is accessing from India. This way we bypass the filtering.”

Virtual Private Network or VPNWork by passing your internet traffic through physically maintained servers in locations around the world, so you can select an IP address that is tied to a different location than where you are physically located. For example, American TikTok users can use a VPN to pretend they are accessing the internet from outside the US. VPNs prevent your Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from seeing your browsing data, adding an additional potential layer of privacy. When you’re using a VPN, your ISP can only see the connections to the VPN, rather than having access to a detailed list of all the websites you’re visiting.

As a result of these capabilities, VPNs are often used in attempts to get around digital geolocation restrictions, such as on Netflix or other streaming platforms. They are an important, and well-known, tool for people living under authoritarian regimes such as Russia, China, and Iran to circumvent Internet censorship programs.

Using a VPN comes with caveats, though. Some commercial VPNs log people’s browsing history, which essentially shifts data collection from ISPs to VPN manufacturers. This means that data is no longer secure, and law enforcement can make requests from VPN providers in the same way they request ISPs. Consequently, a selection Free VPNs are generally not a good idea– with some even Selling access to your home internet connection. But some VPNs publish no-logging policies and offer third-party audits and other transparency features in an effort to demonstrate their compliance.

For now, it seems that TikTok’s efforts to block US users are too strict, and even a non-US SIM card or a SIM card plus VPN may not be a viable way to get back into the app with a US TikTok account. But the bans can only be temporary. In reality, there appears to be little appetite for a permanent ban in the United States. And, despite Origin of ideasPresident Trump has said in recent days that he Don’t want to ban the app.

“My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation,” Trump said in a message. True social posts Friday “Stay tuned!”