If TikTok does indeed go down on Sunday for Americans, there may be a tool for them to continue accessing the popular social app: VPNs.
The Chinese-owned app is set to be removed from mobile app stores and the web for US users on Sunday as a result of legislation signed by President Joe Biden in April 2024 that requires the app to be sold to a qualified buyer ahead of schedule.
Barring a last-minute sale or a stay by the Supreme Court, the app will almost certainly disappear from the app stores for iPhone and Android phones. It won’t be removed from other people’s phones, but the app might stop working.
TikTok plans to shut down its service for 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 did not comment on their plans to remove apps from their app stores on Sunday.
“Basically, an app or website can check where users came from,” said Justas Palekas, product manager at IProyal.com, a proxy service. “Based on that, they can impose restrictions based on their location.”
Masking your physical internet access point
That might put off most users, but for particularly keen Americans, using a VPN might allow them to continue using the app.
VPNs and related business-to-business technology called proxies work by routing a user’s Internet traffic through a server in another country, making it appear as if they are accessing the Internet from a location other than where they physically are.
This works because every time a computer connects to the Internet, it is identified by an IP number, which is a 12-digit number that is different for each individual computer. The first six digits of the number identify the network, which also includes information about the physical region from which the request came.
In China, people have used VPNs for years to bypass the state-run firewall that blocks American websites like Google and Facebook. VPNs saw huge spikes in traffic when India banned TikTok in 2020, and people often use VPNs to watch sports events from countries where official streams are not available.
As of 2022, the VPN market was worth nearly $38 billion, according to the VPN Trust Initiative, a lobbying group.
“We continually see significant spikes in VPN demand when access to online platforms is restricted, and this situation is no different,” said Lauren Hendry Parsons, privacy advocate at ExpressVPN, a $5-a-month VPN provider.
“We’re not here to support TikTok, but the looming ban in the US highlights why VPNs matter – millions rely on them for secure, private and unrestricted internet access,” ProtonVPN posted on social media earlier this week. ProtonVPN offers its service for $10 per month.
The cost of VPNs
Both ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN allow users to set their location to access the internet.
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 when Meta offered a free VPN so that it can keep up with rapidly growing competitor applications.
A key disadvantage for those using a VPN is speed, as requests must flow through an intermediary computer to mask the user’s physical location.
And while VPNs have worked in the past when governments banned apps, that doesn’t guarantee that VPNs will work if TikTok goes dark. It won’t be clear whether ExpressVPN will be able to access TikTok until the ban takes effect, Parsons told CNBC in an email. It’s also possible that TikTok could target Americans trying to use a VPN to access the app.
(L-R) Sarah Baus of Charleston, SC, holds a sign that says “Keep TikTok” as she and fellow content creators Sallye Miley of Jackson, Mississippi, and Callie Goodwin of Columbia, SC, stand outside the US Supreme Court building as a court listens to oral arguments on whether to overturn or delay legislation that could lead to a ban on TikTok in the U.S. on January 10, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Andrew Harnik | Getty Images
VPNs and proxies to bypass regional restrictions have been part of the Internet landscape for decades, but their use is increasing as governments seek to ban certain services or applications.
Apps are constantly being removed at the request of the government. almost 1500 apps have been removed in regions due to government requirements to be removed by 2023, according to Apple, with more than 1,000 of them in China. Most of these are side apps that violate laws like anti-gambling or China’s video game rules, but countries are increasingly banning apps for national security or economic development reasons.
Now the US is poised to ban one of the country’s most popular apps — with 115 million users, it was the second most downloaded app in 2024 for iOS and Android, according to an estimate provided to CNBC by Sensor Tower, a market intelligence firm.
“As we witness ever-increasing attempts to fragment and censor the Internet, the role of VPNs in maintaining Internet freedom becomes increasingly critical,” Parsons said.
