“Even VPNs in India don’t cheat,” Gosain told Wired.
In the early hours of the US ban, it was unclear exactly how possible it would be for US accounts to meet the sanctions. It seemed that TikTok took a more extreme approach, making the app unavailable in any US. Builds have been blacked out — Versions of the TikTok app software that were built to be downloaded and used by US users have been blacked out. It also appeared that accounts connected to the US were being blocked regardless of IP address or SIM country information.
Running a VPN alone was definitely not enough to avoid the ban and get back on TikTok. But using a non-US TikTok account after removing a SIM (or on a device without a US SIM card/US phone number) seemed to work when paired with a VPN. Likewise, using a VPN with a desktop browser or Tor Browser is a non-U.S. The TikTok account was suspended in the US on Sunday morning. was enough to load in, although the desktop version of TikTok has always been much more limited than its mobile app.
“The TikTok network checks the source IP of the packets — if the source IP is from India, it drops the packets,” explains Gosain about the restrictions in India. “Also, the TikTok app gets the country information included 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 fails to identify Indian users from the SIM card, and when we use VPNs, the IP address changes, and it no longer belongs to the Indian IP range. . Thus, TikTok again fails to recognize that the user is accessing from India. That’s how we bypass filtering.”
Virtual private networks, or VPNsWork by passing your internet traffic through servers that are physically maintained in locations around the world, so you can choose an IP address that is different from where you are physically located. is associated with the location. For example, American TikTok users can use VPNs to pretend they are accessing the internet outside the US. VPNs also prevent your Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from viewing your browsing data, adding an additional potential layer of privacy. When you’re using a VPN, your ISP will only see the connection to the VPN, rather than accessing a detailed list of all the websites you’re visiting.
As a result of these capabilities, VPNs are often used in attempts to circumvent digital geo-location restrictions, such as on Netflix or other streaming platforms. They are also 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, however. Some commercial VPNs log people’s browsing history, which essentially shifts data collection from just ISPs to VPN manufacturers. This means that data is no longer secure, and law enforcement can request it from VPN providers in the same way they request ISPs. As a result, carrying a Free VPNs are generally not a good idea-Even with some Selling access to your home internet connections. 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 very strict, and even a non-US SIM card or no SIM card and a VPN is a workaround to get back on the app with a US TikTok account. May not be a valid path. But the restrictions can only be temporary. In practice, there appears to be little appetite for a permanent ban in the US. And, despite Beginning of thoughtPresident 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 so distant future, but I should have time to review the situation,” Trump said. Truth social post on Friday. “stay tuned!”
