Is TikTok coming to India? Here’s the truth behind the viral claim

TikTok is not coming to India. Contrary to the viral claims made by several content creators and media platforms, the Bytedance-owned short video platform is not coming to the country anytime soon. TikTok was originally banned in 2020 soon after the geopolitical tensions arose between India and China.

In an official confirmation to media, both the Indian government and ByteDance have clarified that TikTok continues to remain banned in the country five years after the initial ban. The rumours of an ‘unbanned’ TikTok emerged after many users were reportedly able to access the TikTok homepage without a VPN, thus sparking theories of the return of the original short video platform. This coincided with India and China engaging in diplomatic talks to strengthen regional ties.