Despite the ban, TikTok did just fine in expanding around the world, while national and international tech companies rushed to fill the Indian void, in the process transforming th

America's TikTok ban came five years after India blocked the app, citing security reasons. India had said that TikTok, along with 58 other Chinese apps, posed a threat to sovereignty and security of the country.

TikTok fans in the U.S. are racing to secure alternatives and safeguard their digital empires ahead of a looming shutdown, evoking the chaos of India's 2020 ban that erased the app from the lives of 200 million users overnight.