Nepal announced on Monday that it plans to prohibit the use of TikTok in the country, citing the disruption of social harmony and goodwill due to the app’s misuse. There has been increasing demand for its control.
TikTok has already faced partial or complete bans in other countries, with many expressing concerns over security.
Local media reports have indicated that over 1,600 TikTok-related cybercrime cases have been registered in Nepal over the past four years.
Nepal’s Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma, stated that the decision to ban TikTok was made during a cabinet meeting on Monday. “Colleagues are working on closing it technically,” Sharma told Reuters.
Purushottam Khanal, Chair of the Nepal Telecom Authority, mentioned that internet service providers have been instructed to shut down the app. “Some have already closed while others are doing it later today,” Khanal told Reuters.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter. The company has previously criticized such bans as “misguided” and based on “misconceptions.”
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Opposition leaders in Nepal have criticized the ban, stating that it lacks “effectiveness, maturity, and responsibility.” Pradeep Gyawali, former foreign minister and a senior leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), said, “There are many unwanted materials in other social media also. What must be done is to regulate and not restrict them.”
India, Nepal’s neighbor, banned TikTok and dozens of other apps by Chinese developers in June 2020, citing potential threats to national security and integrity.
Pakistan, another South Asian country, has banned the app at least four times due to what the government considers “immoral and indecent” content.