Kyrgyzstan blocked TikTok

In mid-April 2024, Kyrgyzstan’s government reportedly ordered a TikTok ban, citing concerns over the app’s disruptive impact on children’s health. As of 18th April 2024, OONI measurements from the testing of TikTok in Kyrgyzstan suggest that access to TikTok is blocked in the country.

As illustrated through the above chart, the OONI Probe testing of multiple TikTok endpoints (required for TikTok app functionality) were previously found reachable, and only started to present “anomalies” (signs of blocking) from 18th April 2024 onwards. The simultaneous timing of the anomalies (for multiple TikTok endpoints) suggests that access to the TikTok app was disrupted on that day. The continuous presence of anomalies (in all subsequent measurements) further suggests TikTok app blocking.

Moreover, all OONI measurements from the testing of www.tiktok.com over the last week presented anomalies, suggesting that ISPs in Kyrgyzstan blocked access to the TikTok website as well. The block is observed on 5 tested networks in the country.

Most OONI measurements show that access to TikTok is blocked by means of TLS interference. Specifically, OONI data shows the timing out of the session after the ClientHello message during the TLS handshake. Recent OONI data suggests that the block remains ongoing.

If you are in Kyrgyzstan, you can contribute more measurements by running OONI Probe.