Is Ban on TikTok Being Lifted in India? Reports of Hiring in India and Government Denial – Reading Between the Lines
TikTok has once again found itself in the spotlight in India. The short-video app, banned since 2020, is back in discussion after job postings from its parent company ByteDance surfaced online.
Several openings, including Content Moderator (Bengali Speaker) and Wellbeing Partnership and Operations Lead, were recently listed on LinkedIn for TikTok’s Gurgaon office. This unexpected hiring has led many to wonder if the popular app is preparing for a comeback.
However, officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) have dismissed the speculation. Sources confirmed that TikTok remains banned in India, and no orders have been issued to lift the restrictions. The app also continues to be unavailable on both Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. Reports of TikTok being accessible again were called “false and misleading” by the Ministry.
“Government of India has not issued any unblocking order for TikTok. Any such statement/news is false and misleading”: Govt Sources
— PIB in Uttarakhand (@PIBDehradun) August 22, 2025
The app was originally banned in June 2020, along with 58 other Chinese apps, citing concerns over sovereignty, security, and data privacy. Since then, homegrown platforms like Moj and Josh gained traction, but it was Instagram Reels that truly dominated the short-video space.
TikTok’s move to hire in India has sparked speculation about whether the company is preparing for a future return, possibly by investing in local servers like Krafton did for BGMI. Industry watchers believe that improving India-China relations might open the door for negotiations, but for now, the ban remains firmly in place.
