As of December 19, 2025, the global landscape for TikTok has shifted dramatically. With a binding agreement signed to transition majority control of TikTok’s US operations to an American-led investor group, millions of former users in India are asking the same question: Is TikTok coming back to India?
While the US deal marks a historic turning point for the app, the situation in India remains complex. Here is a breakdown of what we know so far.
1. The US Deal: What Happened?
After years of legal battles and a looming ban, ByteDance has finally reached a deal to divest majority control of its US business.
- The New Ownership: A joint venture titled TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC has been formed. Major investors include Oracle, Silver Lake, and the Abu Dhabi-based MGX.
- The Structure: These investors will hold approximately 45% of the venture, while ByteDance retains a minority stake of 19.9%.
- Data Security: Oracle will serve as the "trusted security partner," hosting US user data on its servers and auditing the recommendation algorithm to ensure it is free from foreign influence.
2. Does the US Sale Pave the Way for India?
The "US Model" is being closely watched by Indian regulators. The primary reason for India’s 2020 ban was national security and data privacy concerns regarding ByteDance’s ties to China.
If TikTok can successfully operate as an independent entity in the US with local data storage and non-Chinese oversight, it creates a blueprint for a potential return to India. However, there are significant hurdles:
- No Official Unblocking: As of late 2025, the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has clarified that no order has been issued to lift the ban.
- Diplomatic Context: While there have been signs of a "thaw" in India-China relations recently, the government remains firm on its "Data Sovereignty" stance.
3. Signs of Life: Hiring and Website Glitches
Recent activity in 2025 has fueled "comeback" rumors:
- Job Postings: ByteDance recently posted job openings for its Gurugram office, including roles for Bengali-speaking content moderators and wellbeing leads. While these are "Trust and Safety" roles, they suggest the company is maintaining a small operational footprint in India.
- Website Accessibility: In August 2025, the TikTok website briefly became accessible to some Indian users without a VPN. However, ByteDance and the government both dismissed this as a technical glitch or network misconfiguration rather than a planned relaunch.
4. The "BGMI" Precedent
Many experts point to BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) as a possible path forward. Krafton (a South Korean company) brought back the banned PUBG Mobile by severing ties with its Chinese publisher (Tencent) and setting up local servers.
The Verdict: If TikTok India were to follow suit—perhaps by partnering with a major Indian conglomerate like Reliance or the Hiranandani Group—a relaunch could become a reality.
