Ashwini Vaishnaw says there is no move to bring back TikTok in India

New Delhi:Union Minister for IT, Information and Broadcasting, and Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that there is no move to bring back TikTok in India, even though there has been speculation about the app’s possible return, as per the report.

Vaishnaw told Moneycontrol, “There is absolutely no proposal which has come from any quarters,” clarifying speculation that the ByteDance-owned platform could return as diplomatic ties between India and China improve.

TikTok was first blocked in June 2020 alongside 58 other Chinese applications on grounds of national security. The decision led to its removal from Apple and Google’s app stores, and the government later made the ban permanent in January 2021. Before the block, India was TikTok’s largest market with over 200 million users.

Other ByteDance products, such as Helo and CapCut, were also banned at the time, while the company’s music streaming service Resso shut down in India after being delisted from app stores in 2024.

Asked about Chinese investment in India’s technology sector, Vaishnaw said, “We will see as it happens. Policies will be clearly shared with everybody. We are a very transparent country.”

He also acknowledged the interconnected nature of global supply chains when questioned about potential cooperation with China in semiconductors and electronics. “We do respect this reality of the global value chain, and we respect the way this industry works. So, wherever the value is added, finally the benefits should come to our people, benefits should come to our industry,” he noted.

Earlier, there was speculation about TikTok being accessible in India after some users reported being able to open its website on certain networks. The speculation grew stronger when TikTok India listed two new job openings on LinkedIn, “Content Moderator (Bengali Speaker) Trust and Safety” and “Wellbeing Partnership and Operations Lead, Trust and Safety.” However, the app itself continues to remain unavailable on both Google Play and the Apple App Store.