People in New Caledonia have reportedly turned to the best VPN services to continue accessing the TikTok app.
The French government announced yesterday (May 15, 2024) a ban on the popular video-sharing app to quell violent clashes spreading across the monitored South Pacific territory, among other measures, after declaring a state of emergency.
However, the measure does not appear to have stopped citizens from finding a way to stay connected. Speaking to TechRadar, Proton VPN confirmed a 150% increase in VPN signups above baseline, starting shortly after TikTok shut down.
“People turn to VPNs in turbulent times to ensure they can access free and fair internet in the face of blockages,” a Proton VPN spokesperson told me.
That's because a VPN, short for virtual private network, is security software that spoofs the location of your IP address so that it appears in a completely different part of the world in a matter of seconds. In this case, people in Caledonia use Proton VPN and similar services to access their TikTok app from a country where the service is banned.
“We recommend that people around the world sign up for VPNs so they can connect and communicate even if governments restrict access to certain sites,” Proton added.
Why did France ban TikTok?
As we mentioned, France gave an order to block access to TikTok island-wide as part of a state of emergency declaration. Other measures also include the deployment of French troops to protect international ports and airports, along with a national curfew.
This harsh response came in reaction to three days of violent clashes that left four dead (including a French gendarme) and hundreds injured. As Politico reported, protests broke out when French lawmakers passed a bill to change the voting system by allowing all citizens who have resided on the island for more than 10 years to vote in local elections. The indigenous population of New Caledonia, the Kanaks, believe that this law will end up weakening their representation.
While social media blackouts are a widespread measure in times of political crisis, they are generally limited to more authoritarian countries around the world. Proton considers the French decision worrying.
“This is an unprecedented move in Western democracies to block specific Internet sites, and it is a worrying progression that they are flirting with the idea of censoring the Internet as a means of crowd control,” the Proton VPN spokesperson told me.
However, it is not the first time that French President Macron has called for a debate on social media blocks to address unrest in the West. In July last year, as France faced days of unrest, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton backed his ally by declaring that social media shutdowns could occur in the EU if platforms do not quickly remove hate content during the protests. riots under the new Digital Service. Law (DSA).
It is worth mentioning, however, that civil society organizations asked the Commissioner to correct his statements. Breton later clarified that the DSA should not be used as justification for arbitrary censorship.
The French government must immediately lift the ban on TikTok in New Caledonia! This ban does not “quell unrest” as they claim: it simply suppresses dissent, blatantly violating the fundamental rights to free expression and access to information. #KeepItOnhttps://t.co/R4w5Z5YdA7May 16, 2024
After all, as digital rights advocate Access Now pointed out (see tweet above), a TikTok ban does not quell unrest but rather restricts people's fundamental rights and freedoms.
“Even in times of emergency, human rights standards continue to apply. These excessive measures can never be considered proportionate. They actively prevent people from properly accessing information, which is a vital tool during any crisis,” Eliška Pírková, senior analyst at political and global Freedom of Expression Leader at Access Now, told me. “France has the obligation to prevent human rights violations in New Caledonia and must act accordingly.”
Ironically, however, the French ban on TikTok in New Caledonia was implemented on the same day that Access Now published its annual report in which its experts recorded “worsening conditions for internet shutdowns and human rights globally.” .
Commenting on the findings, Felicia Antonio, director of the #KeepItOn campaign at Access Now and one of the researchers who wrote the report, told me: “In 2023, governments continued to heavily use communication platform blocks, imposing or maintaining 53 platform blocks in 25 countries, compared to 39 blocks in 29 countries in 2022.
How to bypass TikTok ban with a VPN
For an in-depth breakdown, check out our guide to downloading the TikTok app and bypassing bans with a VPN. Below are the simple steps you should follow if you are in New Caledonia and anywhere else where TikTok is currently blocked:
- Download the VPN app you have chosen. I recommend checking out our best free VPN guide to find the most reliable freebie out there, and the aforementioned Proton VPN is one of them.
- Connect to a server located in a country where TikTok is available. Note that India is the largest democracy that also bans TikTok.
- Start using TikTok just like you normally would!
Access Now's Anthonio noted that people affected by the platform shutdown can also use the Tor browser to access blocked sites. He also encourages everyone who needs it to follow the group's digital safety advice, where the team provides further guidance and tools for people experiencing outages.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Access a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or tolerate illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Future Publishing does not endorse or approve the consumption of paid pirated content.
