Joining the ever-growing list of governments across the world to impose a restriction or ban on the use of TikTok, Nepal has decided to impose a ban on the app during a cabinet meeting that took place today.
The government said that the reason for the decision was based on the fact that the platform can "encourage a tendency of hate speech," with 1,647 cases of cyber crime having been reported on the app in the past four years.
TikTok has been in discussion with the Cyber Bureau of the Nepal Police and the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the decision will only be enforced once the relevant technical preparations have been completed. The timeline for this hasn't been included with the announcement.
This decision follows the country's implementation of the 'Directives on the Operation of Social Networking 2023' which requires social media platforms operating in Nepal to set up an office in the country, which would include Meta, X, YouTube and others. The Nepalese Government said that this "was introduced in light of an increasing number of people complaining that the absence of the companies’ representatives in Nepal made it difficult for the authorities to address their users’ concerns and even to remove objectionable content from the platforms."
TikTok has been facing more safety concerns than ever in recent months, with the platform facing a $368 million fine due to the way it handled data of younger users on the site. Additionally, the European Commission has asked TikTok to comment on how it plans to ensure child safety on the platform.
However, TikTok continues to strike new deals with entertainment companies in a drive to increase popularity and usage on the site. This comes with the recent deal with Disney as part of its 100 year anniversary celebration, and making use of Pulse Premiere for TikTok to enhance that experience.
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