If TikTok does go down on Sunday for Americans, there may be a tool for them to continue accessing the popular social app: virtual private networks (VPNs).
The Chinese-owned app is scheduled to be removed from mobile and web app stores for US users on Sunday as a result of a law signed by President Joe Biden in April 2024 that requires the app to be sold to a qualified buyer before the deadline.
Barring a last-minute sale or reprieve from the Supreme Court, the app will almost certainly disappear from the iPhone and Android app stores. It won't be removed from people's phones, but the app may stop working.
TikTok plans to shut down its service to Americans on Sunday, meaning even those who have already downloaded the app won't be able to continue using it, according to reports this week. From Reuters and Information. apple and Google They did not comment on their plans to remove the apps from their app stores on Sunday.
“Basically, an app or website can check where users came from,” said Justas Palikas, head of product at IProyal.com, a proxy service. “Accordingly, they can impose restrictions based on their location.”
Hide the actual Internet access point
This may turn off most users, but for particularly impulsive Americans, using VPNs may allow them to continue using the app.
VPNs and related business technology called proxies work by funneling a user's Internet traffic through a server in another country, making it appear as if they are accessing the Internet from a different location than the one they are physically located in.
This works because every time your computer connects to the Internet, it is identified by its IP number, which is a 12-digit number that varies from one computer to another. The first six digits of the number identify the network, which also includes information about the physical region the request came from.
In China, people have used VPNs for years to get around the country's firewall, which blocks American websites like Google and Facebook. VPNs saw a spike in traffic when India banned TikTok in 2020, and people often use VPNs to watch sporting events from countries where official streaming is not available.
As of 2022, the VPN market is worth nearly $38 billion, according to the VPN Trust Initiative, a lobbying group.
“We consistently see a spike in demand for VPNs when access to online platforms is restricted, and this situation is no different,” said Lauren Hendry Parsons, privacy advocate at ExpressVPN, a VPN service provider that costs $5 a month to use.
“We're not here to endorse TikTok, but the looming US ban highlights the importance of VPNs — as millions rely on them for secure, private, and unfettered internet access,” ProtonVPN posted on social media earlier this week. ProtonVPN offers its service for $10 per month.
VPN prices
Both ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN allow users to set their own Internet access location.
Most VPN services charge a monthly fee to pay for their servers and traffic, but some use a business model where they collect user data or traffic trends, as is the case with Meta Free VPN offered So you can monitor competitors' apps that were growing rapidly.
The main differentiator for those who use a VPN is speed due to requests flowing through an intermediary computer to hide users' actual location.
Although VPNs have worked in the past when governments banned apps, this is no guarantee that VPNs will work if TikTok goes dark. It won't be clear whether ExpressVPN will be able to access TikTok until after the ban occurs, Parsons told CNBC in an email. It's also possible that TikTok is able to identify Americans trying to use VPNs to access the app.
(LR) Sarah Baus of Charleston, South Carolina, holds a sign that reads “Keep TikTok” as she and other content creators Sally Miley of Jackson, Mississippi, and Callie Goodwin of Columbia, South Carolina, stand outside the U.S. Supreme Court building as a court listens to oral arguments On whether to repeal or delay a law that could lead to TikTok being banned in the United States, on January 10, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
Andrew Harnick | Getty Images
VPNs and proxies to evade regional restrictions have been part of the internet landscape for decades, but their use is increasing as governments seek to block certain services or apps.
Apps are removed at the request of the government all the time. almost 1,500 apps removed in the regions due to government demands for removal in 2023, according to Apple, with more than 1,000 of them in China. Most are fringe apps that violate laws such as those related to gambling, or Chinese video game rules, but increasingly, countries are banning apps for reasons of national security or economic development.
Now, the United States is preparing to ban one of the country's most popular apps — with 115 million users, it was the second most downloaded app of 2024 across both iOS and Android, according to an estimate provided to CNBC from Sensor Tower, a market intelligence firm.
“As we see increasing attempts to fragment and censor the Internet, the role of VPNs in supporting Internet freedom has become increasingly critical,” Parsons said.
He watches: Chinese TikTok alternative booms
