The decision from the Nepali government came as regulators across the world have escalated the efforts to restrict access to TikTok.
Nepal on Monday moved to ban the popular video-sharing app TikTok, saying the platform has been used to spread content that affects “social harmony.”
The Nepali government’s action came as the Chinese-owned app drew scrutiny in a growing number of countries over security and data concerns.
The decision to wipe off TikTok from Nepalian phones was made during the cabinet meeting on Monday, according to Rekha Sharma, Nepal’s communications and information technology minister.
TikTok’s adverse social effects and hate speech were cited as major concerns. Ms. Sharma
said the social media platform “disturbs social harmony and disrupts family structures and social relations.”
More than 1,600 cyber crime cases related to TikTok were registered in the past four years, according to
The Kathmandu Post, a local newspaper.
The restriction is likely to be brought into force once the authorities complete the technical preparation, the report said.
“Colleagues are working on closing it technically,” Ms. Sharma told Reuters.
Nepal Telecom Authority Chair Purushottam Khanal said internet service providers have been asked to close the app.
“Some have already closed while others are doing it later today,” Mr. Khanal told Reuters.
The Epoch Times reached out to TikTok for comment and has not received a response as of press time.
Increasing Scrutiny
The Nepali government’s decision came as regulators worldwide have escalated the efforts to restrict access to TikTok, a video app owned by the Beijing-based tech giant ByteDance, with many citing national security concerns.
The United States has
ordered federal agencies to delete TikTok from all government devices, following
a similar restriction by the European Commission. Canada also banned TikTok from all government-issued decives.
Lawmakers in Washington have expressed concerns about TikTok’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), saying that the company could hand over
American users’ data to the Chinese authorities. They noted that China’s intelligence law compels “any organization or citizen” to “support, assist, and cooperate” with security and intelligence agencies when asked.
Experts and officials also pointed to the possibility that the CCP could use
personal data harvesting from Americans through the viral app to conduct
espionage operations or shape their perceptions to be favorable to the Chinese regime. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CBS on Sunday that the viral app could be used as” a propaganda channel for the CCP.” About 40 percent of young Americans obtain “all their news” from TikTok, according to Mr. Warner.
TikTok has repeatedly denied such allegations. Nevertheless, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle remain cautious about TikTok due to its ties to ByteDance and the CCP, with some
pushing for a federal ban.
Montana is the first U.S. state to ban the Chinese social media app from operating in his state after Gov. Greg Gianforte
signed legislation in May. TikTok is
challenging the state-wide ban, which is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2024. But the state officials
argued the move is needed to protect its residents’ privacy due to the app’s ties to the U.S. adversaries.
Across the world, India had already imposed a
nationwide TikTok ban in 2020. New Delhi banned using TikTok and dozens of Chinese apps, such as the popular messaging app WeChat, following a deadly border clash between the two neighbors over
a disputed Himalayan region. These Chinese apps, according to the Indian technology ministry, are “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of state and public order.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
