“Even VPNs do not lead to circumvention of censorship” in India, Gosain told WIRED.
In the early hours of the US ban, it remained unclear exactly how feasible it would be to bypass restrictions on US accounts. It appears that TikTok has taken a more extreme approach, turning every US build of the app dark — blacking out versions of the TikTok app software created for US users to download and use. It appears that accounts linked to the US are also blocked regardless of IP address information or SIM country.
Just running a VPN is definitely not enough to bypass the ban and get back to TikTok. But it seems that using a non-US TikTok account after removing the SIM (or on a device without a SIM card/US phone number) worked in conjunction with a VPN. Similarly, using a VPN with a desktop browser or Tor Browser was enough to download a non-US TikTok account in the US early Sunday morning, although the desktop version of TikTok has always been limited. Much more restrictive than mobile applications.
“TikTok checks the source IP of network packets—if the source IP belongs to India, it drops the packets,” Gosain explains about the restrictions in India. “In addition, the TikTok app takes the country information embedded in the SIM card and if the country code is 'IN', it filters the network connection. When we remove the SIM card, the TikTok app cannot identify the Indian user from the SIM card, and when we use a VPN, the IP address changes and it is no longer in the Indian IP range. As a result, TikTok once again failed to identify users accessing from India. This is how we bypass filtering.”
Virtual private network or VPNworks by routing your internet traffic through physically maintained servers in locations around the world, so you can choose an IP address tied to a different location than your physical location your health. For example, TikTok users in the US can use a VPN to make it look like they are accessing the Internet from outside the US. VPNs also prevent your Internet service provider (ISP) from seeing your browsing data, adding a potential layer of security. When you are using a VPN, your ISP will only see connections to the VPN instead of having access to a detailed list of all the websites you are visiting.
Because of these capabilities, VPNs are often used in efforts to bypass digital geolocation restrictions, like those on Netflix or other streaming platforms. They are also an important and familiar tool for circumventing internet censorship programs for people living under authoritarian regimes such as those in Russia, China and Iran.
However, using a VPN comes with caveats. Some commercial VPNs record people's browsing history, essentially just shifting the data collection from the ISP to the VPN manufacturer. This means data is less protected, and law enforcement can request it from the VPN provider the same way they would request it from an ISP. The result is choosing one Free VPNs are generally not a good idea—with some even sell access to your home internet connection. However, some VPNs publish no-logs policies and offer third-party auditing services and other transparency features in an attempt to demonstrate their compliance.
Currently, it appears that TikTok's efforts to block US users are extremely draconian, and even a non-US SIM card or no SIM card plus a VPN may not be a viable route to return to the app using a US TikTok account. But either way, the restrictions are likely to be temporary. In fact, it seems that the US is not very interested in a permanent ban. And, regardless idea originPresident Trump has said in recent days that he don't want the app to be banned.
“My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to consider the situation,” Trump said in a speech. Social media posts Truth on Friday. “Stay tuned!”