How is TikTok being blocked in the US?

Submitted ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨modus@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨[deleted]⁩

On a technical level, how is TikTok being blocked/banned in the US?

Can I still sideload the app to my phone? Is it only being banned from the two big app stores? Is there a penalty for being found in possession of the software on US soil?

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iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
I believe I read that the ban prohibited new downloads but wouldn’t stop existing users from continuing to use, however the parent company kinda put a middle finger up and said they would stop service in the US completely, probably by IP/geofencing? Take with grain of salt.

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- TriflingToad@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
  Hmm. I’m gonna install it then never use it again lol
  
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GrumpyDuckling@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
No app store download and no hosting in the u.s. Even if they weren’t blocking u s. Users the amount of video traffic suddenly hitting their servers outside the country would cripple their infrastructure and seriously hinder other Internet traffic. Since net neutrality doesn’t exist anymore, ISPs can be paid to block it or seriously cripple it.

Still totally legal to install the app and access the content. However the same content will be reposted to other platforms which will be a great passive revenue stream for someone.

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- Tangent5280@lemmy.world ⁨22⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  How can ISPs tell what app is requesting data? Doesnt it all look the same on their end?
  
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  - randombullet@programming.dev ⁨22⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    IP address and Domain Names
    
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A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
Afaik you should still be able to sideload it and use the service with a VPN

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- modus@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
  So are American ISPs being forced to block TikTok’s server’s IPs?
  
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  - adarza@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    afaik the legislation doesn’t include active blocking of a qualifying service’s (which includes tiktok by name, but is not limited to only it or bytedance) traffic…
    
    it only prohibits the distribution of their ‘apps’ (such as via google/apple ‘stores’)–this is the part that does most the heavy lifting, and hosting of their services within the u.s.
    
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  - cm0002@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    No, US is not blocking it (there isn’t even infrastructure in place for such a request, we don’t have a “Great Firewall of China”)
    
    However, the VPN is required because reportedly TikTok themselves will stop allowing US based users to see content which is above and beyond what the law calls for
    
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  - PP_BOY_@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    I dont think any ISP will be forced to given that both the current and next WH have said they won’t enforce a ban. If it goes dark, it’ll be TikTok themselves blocking access
    
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  - Alexstarfire@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    No
    
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  - twistypencil@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    No
    
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  - gens@programming.dev ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    It will probably be removed from DNS (and appstores). Google IANA , and DNS if you want to know more.
    
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JackbyDev@programming.dev ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
This is how.

Image

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piecat@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Why do they care enough to listen? It isn’t a US based company. I understand if they remove their US servers, but why do they have to block IPs?

Can’t US users just get a VPN? Is this whole situation a ploy to ban VPNs and privacy?

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- modus@lemmy.world ⁨50⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago
  Yes, they can just use a VPN. I’ve told this to several people in my life and many of them write that off as being too difficult to figure out. I even gave my VPN un & pw to a family member with a link to download the app and they still just said “nah.”
  
  Some people just can’t be bothered to try, I guess.
  
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Evotech@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
Don’t worry, trump will just cancel that whole shit

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- Kekzkrieger@feddit.org ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
  Is that a good or bad thing?
  
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  - fine_sandy_bottom@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    I feel like it’s pretty irrelevant honestly.
    
    Like if my house is burning down I don’t care whether I have my blue boxers or my green boxers nor whether China knows.
    
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tiny@midwest.social [bot] ⁨8⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
There are multiple ways of doing this and I’m not sure which methods tik tok is using.

ip address there’s a group called IANA that issues blocks of IP addresses to ISPs and there a companies like Maxmind that package that info. apps can create rules block requests based on that info that block requests coming from a specific location or return an error to the user

removing from the app store Companies can ask app stores to no longer offer downloads in a specific region and as the app updates it will become more busted over time

user information Based info provided by the user directly during sign up or from the social login a user used to sign up with tik tok
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aggelalex@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
Do as all the shithole countries do. Use a VPN.

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- modus@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
  I know how to get around it. I was curious to know the level at which it was being blocked. Is it the DNS, is it some kind of firewall…etc.
  
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  - aggelalex@lemmy.world ⁨23⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    Tbh, it’s tik tom blocking you, not the US, the US only requires the app stores to remove it. I think the easiest way for TikTok to find out where the request comes from is the client IP. And the only way to get around this is through a VPN. I don’t exactly know though, I haven’t seen a lot of technical stuff around it, and I’m not in the US to test it. I’d love to know if anyone else has a tip on this.
    
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Steve@communick.news ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
I believe Google and Apple are to be fined if they don’t remove the app from their stores.

We don’t have the ability to nationally block the domains and IPs, so current users will still be able to access it. So you shouldn’t need a VPN.

Android users could side load the app if they want.

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- SomeAmateur@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
  What is sideloading?
  
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  - Steve@communick.news ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    On Android you can download apps (.APK files) from the web, and install them without any app store.
    
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  - scala@lemmy.ml ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    Downloading the APK.
    
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  - jagged_circle@feddit.nl ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    Its a silly term to say installing from any app store that Google doesn’t control
    
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- lurch@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
  
  We don’t have the ability to nationally block the domains and IPs
  
  I disagree. It may be able to circumvent it, but US ISPs could configure their DNS servers to not resolve the domains and their routers to drop packages from and to these IPs. It will affect everyone who uses their ISPs default config for DNS and not uses VPN/Tor, which is a lot of people.
  
  The question is: Is there a legal procedure to do that? For malware they are sometimes doing things like that (seizing botnet control domains etc), but tiktok isn’t officially malware, AFAIK.
  
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  - Steve@communick.news ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    This isn’t North Korea.
    Even China and Russia can’t fully block things.
    Our networks aren’t nearly as controlled as theirs.
    
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bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
Is it blocked at all? Biden said he wouldn’t enforce it yet.

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- adarza@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
  he wouldn’t be able to, anyway.
  
  the deadline is the sunday the 19th. monday the 20th is mlk day (federal holiday) and the last morning of the biden administration. diaperking is then in charge. even though it was his idea to begin with, he’s flopped on the issue.
  
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JohnOliver@feddit.dk ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
I believe thar they said in the news here in Europe, that any service that distributes the tok tok app to the USA market, will be fined $5000 per download!

It will not be illegal to have but it won’t be updated in the US market and new users won’t be able to download it

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telescopius@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
The US servers are being shut off because they don’t want to risk the fines even though the current administration said they wouldn’t enforce them. TikTok will go black for us users tomorrow. I’m sure there will some way around it for those dedicated enough to find it but the average user will lose access on 1/19.

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werefreeatlast@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
When is ticktock… Why is ticktock… Who is ticktock?

Go to loops! Let’s move on: loops.video

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- SolOrion@sh.itjust.works ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  iOS only. Sucks.
  
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- modus@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
  I don’t care if it lives or dies. I don’t use it at all but I was curious to know how the ban/block was being implemented.
  
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- PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Loops is basically impossible to join though. The email verification takes literal hours, if the email arrives at all.
  
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  - werefreeatlast@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    I tried today and couldn’t join.
    
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Joncash2@lemmy.ml ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
The US won’t block it, but it will be blocked. Tik Tok itself said it will turn off it’s servers and block US ips like it did with India.

edition.cnn.com/2025/01/17/politics/…/index.html

So it will be tik tok itself enforcing the ban. Which is hilarious. USA showed all this bravado and now has to turn around and beg tik tok to return. I fully expect in the long run tik tok will be sold to Chinese agent Elon Musk and be turned into the spy apparatus US claims it to be. The whole situation shows what a clown USA is.

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- False@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
  Why anyone who matters care enough to beg them to come back?
  
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  - Joncash2@lemmy.ml ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    How should I know? But you have Biden insisting he won’t enforce the law and Trump promising he’ll stop the ban and make sure tik tok stays. He’s even inviting their CEO to his inauguration. On the other hand it’s tik tok threatening to shutdown now if they don’t fix it sooner. It’s a strange turn of events but I have no idea why USA thinks begging is the appropriate move.
    
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slazer2au@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
Generally the large ISP will receive an order to sinkhole the tt domains for their users. And most normal people use a modem supplied by the ISP it will use the ISP DNS server or their phones will use the mobile providers DNS servers.

It will not block a determined person but it will effectively block it for a large chunk of the US internet.

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- neomachino@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
  Man I wish I invested in some VPN stock a few years ago. I’m sure they’ll be making a killing with all the us porn bans and now this.
  
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  - slazer2au@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
    A publicly listed VPN provider would be a huge red flag. No matter what they said, their primary commitment would be to shareholders.
    
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Blaze@lemmy.cafe ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
!AskUSA@discuss.online

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SouthFresh@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
With greed.

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