Nepal Implements TikTok Ban Citing Disturbance to Social Harmony
Nepal's decision to ban TikTok stems from concerns over its detrimental impact on social cohesion within the country, according to government officials The popular short video app has been found to disrupt the existing social structures in this South Asian nation
Nepal has taken the decision to prohibit TikTok due to its detrimental impact on social structures within the South Asian nation, according to government officials. Various countries have imposed limitations on the usage of TikTok, an immensely popular short video application owned by Chinese technology giant Bytedance, while India has implemented a complete ban on it.
"Nepal's Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma, announced at a press conference on Monday that TikTok will be temporarily banned due to its disruptive effect on our social harmony and the negative impact it has on our family and social structures. CNN has sought a comment from TikTok regarding this matter."
On Tuesday, Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal justified the decision during an event in the city of Bhaktapur. He stated that after extensive deliberation on ways to curb the propagation of disharmony, disorder, and chaos in society, a consensus had been reached among all political parties, encompassing both the ruling party and the opposition.
In a report on Monday, Nepal Television stated that Purushottam Khanal, the chair of the Telecommunications Authority, has requested internet service providers to block access to the app. The country's largest internet service provider, WorldLink Communications, has already complied with the order, and it is anticipated that other providers will do the same in the near future.
According to local media cited by Reuters, Nepal has registered over 1,600 cyber crime cases related to TikTok in the past four years, resulting in an increased demand to regulate the app. This ban follows India's decision to block TikTok and other Chinese apps over three years ago, due to concerns of them posing a threat to sovereignty and integrity. During that time, TikTok had approximately 120 million users in India, which was one of its largest markets.
The United States and its intelligence alliance partners, known as the Five Eyes (Australia, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand), have implemented restrictions on TikTok's use on government-issued devices. The White House directed federal agencies to uninstall TikTok within 30 days, while Australia mandated the removal of the app from federal government devices in April.
