- TikTok users in the US are searching for a way to get around the ban
- Some have turned to alternative apps
- The app has now gone dark
The ban on TikTok in the US has kicked in, but some users are trying to find ways around it.
Read more: TikTok users share reactions to app going dark
The app no longer works on the phones of its 170 million US users and is also not available on Apple and Google’s official app stores anymore.
This came about as a result of a law passed in April. It ordered TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance to either sell it to a new owner outside of China or face a ban. ByteDance refused to sell it, saying it was “simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, not legally”.
There were even rumours that Elon Musk could buy it, but TikTok dismissed them as “pure fiction”.
Despite fighting the law in the Supreme Court, arguing its ban presented a threat to free speech, TikTok’s appeal was overturned.
TikTok now displays the following message: “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned.”
Can you access TikTok with a VPN?
Users have attempted to use a VPN to get onto TikTok. Indeed, Internet searches for ‘VPN’ soared moments after TikTok went dark, according to Google Trends.
For the uninitiated, VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. They are used to hide your IP address and online activity by routing your internet traffic through a different location. VPNs are common in countries that limit access to certain apps or websites.
However, users online have said they’ve been unable to access TikTok with a VPN.
Others have attempted to use the Tor browser, which allows people to use the internet anonymously by hiding where their online traffic is coming from. Internet users say that this method, however, doesn’t work.
Why are people using RedNote instead?
RedNote is a video-sharing app, similar to TikTok, which has also been compared to Instagram and Pinterest.
Read more: Why are TikTok users flocking to RedNote and Lemon8?
With a $3 billion valuation, it is one of China’s most popular social media sites. Recently, Tech Crunch reported that it earned more than $1 billion in venture funding. Its original name is Xiaohongshu, which translates to ‘little red book’.
Some TikTok users also migrated to Lemon8, but because it is also owned by TikTok owners ByteDance, it was also banned. The same fate befell another ByteDance app called CapCut.
