TikTok Ban Looms in the US: Options, Risks, and the Future for Users and Creators Using VPN

With the deadline for TikTok to sell its stakes in the US to an American entity, i.e., January 19, 2025, nearing, there is every possibility that the social media platform will face a ban. There are unconfirmed reports that parent company ByteDance is planning to stop its operations in the US on Sunday, January 19. What are the options for users?

The US Supreme Court is likely to approve a Biden administration law that prohibits the use of the video-sharing app unless it sells its American operations. The social media platform has more than 170 million users in the US, and many users are hoping to bypass the ban by using VPNs, which are Virtual Private Networks. VPNs camouflage the location of the user and enable them to view websites in other countries as if they were a resident. In other words, US residents can change their location to another part of the globe, like the UK, and access TikTok since the platform is not banned in the UK.

However, the risks are considerable. Accessing TikTok via VPN means circumventing sanctions or engaging in prohibited transactions, and the penalties are quite stiff. Users may face fines of up to $250,000 per violation or twice the value of the transaction, whichever is greater. Willful violations can also attract 20 years in prison and fines of up to $1 million.

There are also risks beyond the penalties. TikTok can easily detect VPN users accessing the platform and ban them. Such activities can also be flagged by authorities and subject users to long-term monitoring.

If the TikTok platform is banned, it will be a pity, especially for content creators and avid users in the United States. The brand has created a large community, and the revenue prospects for content creators have been very good.

The platform can be accessed using VPNs to bypass the bans, and both free and paid VPNs can be employed.

Some of the paid VPNs include NordVPN, Surfshark, CyberGhost, ExpressVPN, and Private Internet Access (PIA). There are free VPNs like Windscribe, which provides 10GB of monthly data and extras through referrals or tweets.

Also Read: Could TikTok Be Sold to Elon Musk as Deadline for US Partner Approaches?