TIKTOK BAN STAYS PUT; GOVERNMENT SAYS COMEBACK RUMORS ARE FALSE
NEW DELHI, India – August 25, 2025:The Indian government has made it clear: TikTok is still banned. They’re calling recent reports and social media chatter about the app maybe coming back false and misleading. This statement, from government sources on Friday, August 22, 2025, follows reports that some people could get to the TikTok website’s homepage, even though it was banned five years ago. Officials said India hasn’t given any orders to unblock TikTok. Any news saying that is wrong, wrapping up the comeback talk.
Where Did This Start?
The rumors started on social media, like X (formerly Twitter), when some users said they could visit TikTok’s homepage in India without a VPN. But while they could see the homepage, they couldn’t log in, watch videos, or use other parts of the site.
ByteDance, TikTok’s owner, told the media that they haven’t brought back TikTok in India and are still following the government’s orders. Experts think this limited access was probably just a network problem or a tech mistake, not a change in policy.
Why Was It Banned in the First Place?
Back in June 2020, India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT banned TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps. They used Section 69A of the Information Technology Act of 2000, which lets them block public access to information for reasons like national security and public order.
This happened because of rising tensions and a fight between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley area of Ladakh. Indian intelligence worried that these apps were collecting user data and sending it to servers outside India without permission, which they saw as a big risk to national security and privacy. The ban became permanent in January 2021.
What Happened After the Ban?
When TikTok was banned, India was its biggest market, with around 150 to 200 million users. When it disappeared, there was a big gap in the short-video world. This helped local apps like Moj, Chingari, and Josh get popular fast. Also, big platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts grew a lot.
The ban hurt the economy, affecting ByteDance, its workers, and many content creators who made a living on TikTok. Many creators had to move their fans to other platforms, and some lost their income. The ban also showed that the government was willing to use digital tools to get what it wanted in terms of geopolitical strategy.
What About India-China Relations?
This TikTok news is interesting because there have been some signs that India and China are getting along a bit better. For example, they’ve started trading again through border passes and are talking about bringing back direct flights. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to visit China for a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit later this month.
Even so, the government’s firm stance on TikTok shows that data security and national interests are still very important. It shows how technology, national security, and international relations are all connected. The government is making it clear that the ban is about security issues that haven’t been solved yet.
What’s Going on in Other Countries?
India’s TikTok ban has had an impact on other countries. Governments around the world, especially in the U.S. and Europe, have said they have similar worries about how the app handles data and its relationship with its Chinese owner. The U.S. government has thought about banning TikTok or forcing it to sell, citing national security risks, but that’s been difficult legally and politically.
This shows that these concerns are global. While some countries have been more careful, like banning the app on government devices, India’s complete ban is one of the biggest and has really changed its digital market.
What’s Next?
If TikTok wants to come back to India, it will probably have to make some big changes. This might mean completely changing how it stores and uses data, creating a new company structure to ease worries about the Chinese government, or even being bought by an Indian company. Until those things happen, the government is standing firm.
In the meantime, the Indian short-video market will keep being led by local and international apps that got popular after TikTok left. The government’s statement is a strong reminder that India sees data security and its own interests as essential, and the TikTok ban is based on those beliefs.
