Many Indian users were rightfully upset at the government’s decision to ban TikTok, AliExpress, and over 260 other Chinese apps in the country. Of course, like any other time the government tried to block something, local VPN usage surged. But does using a VPN for TikTok and more in India actually help you to unblock these apps? And what other reasons are there to install VPN on your devices?
We’ll be answering all your burning questions below. Meanwhile, have a look at the VPNs to get an idea about which providers are the most successful at circumventing government censorship.
Why Were So Many Chinese Apps Banned in India?
The reason the government gave was that the Chinese apps were threatening the national security and defense of India. Somewhat understandable, considering China’s draconian surveillance practices and the accusations that Tiktok is spyware from various cyber security experts.
However, these claims are a bit ironic. When coming from the government whose mass surveillance practices are only behind China and Russia in severity. Don’t get us wrong; we’re not defending TikTok or any other app that rampantly collects data about their users. That being said, what apps you have on your phone or other devices shouldn’t be up for the government to decide.
So, can a VPN help you bypass these blocks and allow you to use the apps again? Well, the answer is a bit more complicated. But you can expect to gain at least partial access to these TikTok and other services with a VPN in India.
Unblock Content with a VPN for tiktok and other apps in India
The most common way governments restrict access to websites and services is by forcing ISPs to block them at the DNS level. Essentially, your Internet provider’s servers refuse to connect to the IP addresses associated with the apps.
Another way this can be accomplished is through wide-reaching firewall rules that prevent Indian IP addresses from accessing such services. The great firewall of China goes even further. By introducing deep packet inspection (DPI) and other filtering rules to further restrict the Internet.
Fortunately, India isn’t at that level of censorship – not yet, anyway. As such, VPNs can unblock any content that is filtered according to the info above.
However, it’s possible that some apps were blocked through your device ID. In this case a VPN isn’t of much use. Still, if the app or service you need has a browser version, you can use a VPN to unblock that instead. It won’t be as convenient, and some app-specific features might not be present – but it’s better than nothing.
Bypassing censorship aside, using a VPN for tiktok and other apps in India will let you access foreign content such as American Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and other streaming platforms unavailable locally. Conversely, you may use an Indian VPN server to access India-exclusive content while you’re travelling abroad, or as an expat living outside the country.
Secure Your Data Against Hacking & Surveillance
As mentioned, India ranks third when it comes to spying on its citizens. Luckily, a VPN will encrypt your network data, basically making it virtually impossible for your Internet provider to see what you do online. Add in some obfuscation and they can’t even tell you’re using a VPN. Highly useful, seeing as some Internet providers (like Jio) were blocking VPNs and proxies without a direct government order – in direct violation of net neutrality rules in the country.
Encryption also prevents hackers from harvesting your login data on unsecured public Wi-Fi, as well as Evil Twin hotspots. Seeing as India is on track to receive a massive network of public Wi-Fi hotspots, it’s best to start protecting your data right now. You know, before hackers get a chance to ruin a good thing once again.
