French Tiktok ban makes VPN usage soar in New Caledonia

People in New Caledonia have reportedly been turning to the best VPN services to keep accessing the TikTok app.

The French government announced the ban on the popular video-sharing app yesterday (May 15, 2024) to quell violent clashes spreading across the South Pacific oversee territory among other measures, after declaring a state of emergency.

The move seems not to have stopped citizens from finding a way to stay connected, though. Speaking to TechRadar, Proton VPN confirmed a 150% increase in VPN sign-ups above baseline, starting shortly after TikTok got shut down.

"People turn to VPNs during turbulent times to ensure they can access the free and fair internet in the face of blocks," a Proton VPN spokesperson told me.

That's because a VPN, short for virtual private network, is security software that spoofs your IP address location to make you appear in a completely different part of the world within seconds. In this instance, people in Caledonia are using Proton VPN and similar services to access their TikTok app from a country where the service is banned.

"We recommend that people across the world sign up to VPNs so that they can get online 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 across the island as part of a state of emergency declaration. Other measures also include the deployment of French troops to secure ports and international airports, alongside a national curfew.

This harsh response came as a reaction to three days of violent clashes that left four dead (including a French gendarme) and hundreds wounded. As Politico reported, protests erupted as French lawmakers passed a bill to change the voting system by allowing all citizens residing on the island for more than 10 years to vote in local elections. New Caledonia's indigenous population, the Kanaks, believes this law will ultimately weaken their representation.

While social media blackouts are a widespread measure in times of political crisis, that's usually confined to more authoritarian countries across the world. Proton sees the French decision as a worrisome development.

"This is an unprecedented move in Western democracies to block specific Internet sites—and is a worrying progression that they are flirting with the idea of censoring the Internet as a means of crowd control," Proton VPN's spokesperson told me.

However, it isn't the first time France's President Macron called for a debate on social media blocks to tackle riots in the West. In July last year, while France was coping with days of unrest, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton backed up his ally by declaring that social media shutdowns might be happening in the EU if the platforms fail to quickly delete hateful content during riots under the new Digital Service Act.

However, as digital rights advocacy Access Now pointed out (see tweet above), a TikTok ban doesn't quell riots but rather restricts people's freedoms. 

"It simply suppresses dissident, blatantly violating fundamental rights to free expression and access to information," wrote the group.

Ironically, France's TikTok ban across New Caledonia was enforced the same day Access Now released its annual report in which its experts recorded "worsening conditions for internet shutdowns and human rights globally." 

How to bypass TikTok ban with a VPN

If you want an in-depth breakdown, check out our guide to downloading the TikTok app and bypassing bans with a VPN, below are the simple steps to take if you are in New Caledonia and anywhere else where TikTok is currently blocked: 

1. Download your chosen VPN app. I recommend checking our best free VPN guide to find the most reliable freebie out there, and the aforementioned Proton VPN is one of them. 
2. Connect to a server located in a country where TikTok is available. Keep in mind that India is the biggest democracy also to ban TikTok.
3. Start using TikTok as you normally would!