The Nepal government has banned TikTok after the cabinet meeting, which was held today. The date of the ban implementation is yet to be finalized. The Chinese app was banned citing its negative effects on social harmony.
The government claims that a large portion of the public of Nepal have criticized TikTok for the encouragement of the tendency to hate speech. 1,647 cyber crime cases have been reported on the app in the last 4 years.
The issue was discussed earlier this week between the Cyber Bureau of the Nepal Police, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the representatives of TikTok. Recently, the Nepal government introduced the ‘Directives on the Operation of Social Networking 2023’.
Social media platforms which operate in the country are required to set up their offices there too, according to the new rule. The government has said that the new law was introduced due to the increase in the number of complaints and the absence of company representatives in the country makes it difficult for authorities to address the concerns and requests to remove offensive content.
As the new rule is out, the companies have to establish either an office or appoint a focal person in the country within 3 months. Companies also have to register their social media platforms with the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. If the companies are not registered in Nepal, the Ministry can shut them down.
TikTok has already been either partially or fully banned by several countries regarding security concerns. India banned TikTok in June 2020 claiming national security concerns after a military clash with China. Other than India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Indonesia etc. have completely banned the app.
