TikTok Denies Blocking Access In Northern Nigeria

TikTok on Monday denied responsibility for restricted access to its platform reported by users in parts of Northern Nigeria, insisting that the disruption was not imposed by the company.

The company in a statement sent to reporters said it was aware of the complaints and had begun engaging relevant stakeholders to resolve the situation.

“We are aware of reports regarding restricted access to our platform in certain parts of Nigeria. We can confirm that this restriction was not implemented by TikTok.

“We are actively engaging with relevant stakeholders to resolve the situation and remain committed to ensuring access for our community,” the statement said.

TikTok, however, did not identify the stakeholders involved in the discussions, explain the possible cause of the disruption or indicate when normal access would be fully restored.

The response follows weeks of complaints from users in Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi and Sokoto states, some of whom said they could access the platform only after activating virtual private networks (VPNs).

Reports of difficulties accessing TikTok began emerging in September, with users complaining that videos would not load, feeds froze during use and attempts to upload content repeatedly failed.

The complaints were concentrated in Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi and Sokoto, while users in several other parts of the country continued to access the platform normally.

Some affected users said other applications worked properly on the same mobile-data connections, while TikTok became accessible after they switched to VPNs.

A VPN redirects internet traffic through another server and can make a user’s connection appear to originate from a different location.

Although the reported success of VPNs suggests that changing the connection route can bypass the problem, it does not establish whether TikTok, the government or telecommunications companies deliberately restricted access.

The company’s response came amid calls for clarification from digital-rights organisations, which have said the available evidence has not established whether the disruption resulted from a platform fault, a network problem, a traffic-management measure or a deliberate restriction.