Can Americans still use TikTok if it’s banned?published at 2:55 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time
Tom Gerken and Liv McMahon
Technology journalists
Image source, Getty ImagesThe most likely way for the United States to ban TikTok would be to order app stores, such as the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store, to make it unavailable for download in that region.
US lawmakers have already asked tech companies to be prepared to remove the app from stores if a ban comes into effect.
This would mean that people would no longer be able to use a legitimate way to access TikTok – but it would also mean that people who already have it would still have it on their phone.
Since the app would no longer be available to the public, new updates could no longer be delivered to users in the United States, making the app more buggy and, eventually, unusable.
Not to mention, many updates are provided to fix app security vulnerabilities, so if TikTok stopped receiving updates, it could present hackers with millions of devices to target.
Of course, there are ways to circumvent such a ban.
There are already plenty of videos circulating on TikTok telling users how to use a VPN (virtual private network) – a way to make it appear like you’re in another region.
The app stores region can also be changed on most devices, so anyone can theoretically access apps from other countries – although this could cause other issues, not to mention likely breaking conditions of service.
