American TikTok users hoping to find a solution to access the banned app are finding virtual private networks to be of no help, hinting that the company has taken extra precautions to ensure Americans can’t bypass the ban. .
Virtual private networks, more commonly known as VPNs, route Internet traffic through servers located around the world. Using VPNs can help users bypass government and corporate Internet restrictions, although their security promises can sometimes be overstated.
Many on social media posted from Saturday night into Sunday morning that their attempts to use VPNs to access TikTok were unsuccessful, and attempts by NBC News were similarly thwarted.
It’s not entirely clear how TikTok instituted the ban on a technical level, but the failure of VPNs is notable because they proved effective when India banned TikTok.
The full extent of how TikTok identifies American users is still unclear. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
One explanation could be that TikTok is blocking all accounts registered with a US phone number, as well as the computers associated with those accounts.
NBC News tested a US TikTok account with two VPNs on Sunday morning and still received the same message sent to any US user who tried to access the app since Saturday night.
“Sorry, TikTok is not available at this time. A law has been passed banning TikTok in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are lucky that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to restore TikTok once he takes office. Stay tuned!
Despite their apparent ineffectiveness, several VPN apps were near the top of Apple’s App Store on Sunday.
NetBlocks, a company that tracks global Internet censorship, said there was no indication that any Internet service provider was blocking the app and that its unavailability was solely due to TikTok making the service inoperable for American users.
In April, Biden signed a law requiring TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or risk being banned in the U.S. The law indicates that the ban would take the form of forcing the two major online stores US apps owned by Google and Apple will stop offering the app. Those stores do not currently have TikTok available.
