TikTok Still Blocked: Government Sources On Buzz About Ban Being Lifted

TikTok is still blocked in India, government sources said this evening after several users reported that they could access the website of the video streaming platform. "The government of India has not issued any unblocking order for TikTok. Any such statement or news is false and misleading," they said.

While the website was accessible for some users, they were unable to log in or upload or watch videos. The app of the China-based platform was also not available on app stores.

Internet service providers continue to block the website, said the sources in the Department of Telecom, making it unclear how it was accessible to some.

Meanwhile, online shopping platform AliExpress was also working for users at the time of publishing this article.

This comes amid India and China's efforts to build their relationship that nosedived after the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020. Earlier this week, the countries unveiled a series of measures for a "stable, cooperative and forward-looking" relationship that included jointly maintaining peace along the frontier, reopening border trade, promoting investment flows, and resuming direct flight connectivity at the earliest.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to China from August 31 to September 1 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin at the invitation of China's President Xi Jinping

TikTok and AliExpress were among 59 apps banned by the government following the June 15, 2020, clashes in eastern Ladakh's Galwan.

The government sources had then said the blocked apps had violated the terms of usage, compromising users' privacy, and being used as spyware or malware.