Despite widespread speculation that virtual private networks, or VPNs, could be used to circumvent a nationwide ban on TikTok, few users are reporting having much success with technological loopholes. (UPDATE: TikTok says it is “restoring service”—read more here.)

Social media app TikTok, which is owned by China's ByteDance, will be banned in the United States on Sunday unless a deal comes together to sell it to a U.S. investor or the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes.

Demand for VPNs surge. Throughout the week of January 13, 2025, as the TikTok ban increased in likelihood, millions of Americans frantically searched for ways to keep access to th

American users were temporarily banned on Sunday. Users couldn’t even circumvent the ban with a VPN. Service was restored by the end of the day.