Other governments, including the United States, have taken steps to restrict the app, often citing security concerns.
Nepal bans TikTok fearing the video platform could “disrupt social harmony,” joining a growing list of countries that have partially or completely banned the Chinese app.
Nepalese Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal decided to ban TikTok on Monday, said Rekha Sharma, Minister of Information and Communications Technology.
“Thanks to the social media platform TikTok, we are witnessing a continuous dissemination of content that disrupts our social harmony and family structures. » Sharma justified.
Nepal faces growing problems with TikTok, including cases of cyberbullying, the report said. Netra Prasad Subedi, spokesperson for the IT ministry. Over the past four years, more than 1,600 cases of cybercrime on TikTok have been reported to authorities, he noted. Kuber Kadayat , spokesperson for the Nepalese police. He said most of the complaints concerned sharing nude photos or financial extortion .

Last week, the government announced it would require social media companies that run platforms used in Nepal establish liaison offices in the country . Kadayat said social media companies have been slow to respond to Nepalese authorities when they request data or send them a complaint. “Victims have to wait a long time to get justice “, he claimed.
TikTok and Beijing-based ByteDance, which owns the video-sharing app, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
During the last years, Other countries and government agencies have taken steps to restrict TikTok often citing security concerns.
India banned TikTok citing threats to national security, along with dozens of other Chinese applications in 2020 after a clash between Indian and Chinese troops on the two countries’ disputed border.

In the United States, the federal government and most states have similar bans in place.so government employees can use TikTok on government-issued devices . At the beginning of this year, Canada banned TikTok on government-issued devices , citing an “unacceptable” level of risk to privacy and security. The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, has also banned its staff from using the app on work devices.
TikTok said it was unprofitable That’s largely because it is spending billions of dollars to isolate its U.S. and European operations from its Chinese parent company, including moving user data to local servers. Measures aim to allay politicians’ concerns and avoid bans .
Nepal not the first to voice concerns over content shared on app . Pakistan banned the app several times after authorities received complaints of indecent content, then lifted the bans after receiving promises from TikTok to improve police content. In August, Senegal blocked access to the application alleging that subversive and hateful content had been shared.

During the last years, TikTok has become one of the main platforms used in Nepal to entertain themselves, promote their business and share their political opinions. Activists and some high-level politicians criticized the government’s decision saying that while concerns about misuse of the social media platform were legitimate, a total ban was not the solution .
“The government’s intention is to end this important platform for communication and expression and limit opportunities for Nepali citizens to participate in online discussions said dozens of media rights activists in a joint statement.
Nepal ban will take a few days to come into effect while the government works on the necessary technical and legal processes » said Subedi.
Source: Latercera

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