TikTok denies India comeback after reports of website going live

TikTok has not been unbanned in India, TechCrunch confirmed Friday, despite brief website access that sparked media reports of a possible comeback after more than five years.

A TikTok spokesperson told TechCrunch that the Chinese-owned social media platform’s ban by the Indian government remains in place, and the short-video platform is not accessible in the country.

“We have not restored access to TikTok in India and continue to comply with the Government of India’s directive,” the spokesperson said in a statement emailed to TechCrunch.

A senior official at India’s IT Ministry also confirmed to TechCrunch, on condition of anonymity, that the government has not “unblocked or done anything” to revoke the ban imposed under Section 69A of the IT Act.

Earlier on Friday, several local media outlets — including leading Indian dailies — suggested that TikTok was making a comeback in India after its website was briefly accessible to some Indian users. The reports cited posts on social media from users who claimed the site loaded without a VPN — an unusual development, given that the Indian government has blocked access to TikTok since late June 2020, when it banned the short-video platform along with dozens of other Chinese-linked apps amid rising tensions between the two countries.

The brief and sudden reappearance of TikTok in India appears to be the result of a network-level misconfiguration. A similar incident occurred in September 2022, when some internet service providers inadvertently unblocked TikTok and other restricted sites for certain users while applying a patch, a source familiar with the matter told TechCrunch at the time.

We’re always looking to evolve, and by providing some insight into your perspective and feedback into TechCrunch and our coverage and events, you can help us! Fill out this survey to let us know how we’re doing and get the chance to win a prize in return!