Nepal Lifts TikTok Ban After Addressing Cyber Crime Concerns

Nepal has lifted its ban on TikTok, a video-sharing app owned by Chinese company ByteDance, after it had been prohibited for over nine months due to concerns about “social harmony and goodwill.” The decision was revealed following a cabinet meeting where the company agreed to support Nepalese law enforcers in tackling TikTok-related crimes and regulating its content, according to a government source who preferred to remain anonymous.

ByteDance expressed satisfaction with the decision. The app was initially banned by the former government in November, driven by worries regarding its misuse. Prior to the ban, over 1,600 cybercrime cases linked to TikTok had been registered in Nepal over four years.

The ban sparked sporadic street protests as users voiced their discontent, stating that the prohibition deprived them of a source of income and a platform for free expression. At the time of the ban, TikTok had 2.2 million users in Nepal, as reported by the Internet Service Providers’ Association of Nepal.

Nepal requested that TikTok establish a dedicated unit to assist the Cyber Bureau of Nepal Police in real-time, enabling the swift apprehension of criminals and the removal of inappropriate content—some of which had been linked to suicides. Dipak Raj Awasti, the bureau’s spokesperson, noted that “Prompt, real-time identification of users can be an effective tool to nab offenders and discourage misuse of the technology.”

Several other countries have also implemented partial or complete bans on TikTok, citing concerns related to national security and privacy.

(Reporting by Kathmandu bureau, editing by Shilpa Jamkhandikar)

Source: Reuters