ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, appears to be prepping for a possible return to India-even though the short-video platform remains officially banned. Two intriguing job openings listed in Gurugram, under the Trust & Safety division, have stirred speculation.

• Content Moderator (Bengali Speaker): This position involves monitoring and removing harmful content, ensuring community safety and cultural sensitivity. Candidates must be fluent in English and Bengali, with a clear understanding of online regulations.
• Wellbeing Partnership and Operations Lead: A senior role tasked with shaping well-being programs, managing partner relationships, and ensuring compliance with global policies.

These hiring activities coincide with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomatic engagement with President Xi Jinping at the SCO Summit-which has sparked even more interest in India-China relations easing. 

Although TikTok’s website recently surfaced in India-suggesting partial access-the app remains blocked and unavailable on both the Google Play and Apple App Stores. Government sources have been clear: no orders to lift the ban have been issued.

With nearly 200 million users prior to the ban, India was TikTok’s second-largest market. While the app is still out of service, the recent job listings indicate ByteDance is maintaining an operational foothold in India-possibly laying the groundwork for a future comeback.