The government of Nepal has banned TikTok, claiming that the social network has a “harmful effect” on Nepalese society.
The content shared by the app is responsible for disturbing “social harmony, family structure, and family relationships,” said Rekha Sharma, Nepal’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology.
It is still unclear when the 2.2 million TikTok users in Nepal will lose access to the Chinese-owned app.
Although it is unlikely that the ban in Nepal will have a serious impact on the app, which has over 1 billion users worldwide, it is another sign of the growing global pressure that the network’s owner, Bytedance, faces.
In 2020, India banned TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps to protect the country’s “sovereignty and integrity.” Legislators in the U.S., Canada, Europe, New Zealand, and Taiwan have also taken steps to restrict access to TikTok, citing national security concerns.
In the U.S., some state and federal authorities have introduced general bans on installing the app on government devices, in an effort to prevent Chinese authorities from accessing sensitive information.
International concerns focus on the possibility of user data reaching the hands of the Chinese government and its role in spreading misinformation. Several countries have initiated investigations to understand how credible this threat is.
TikTok has denied sharing information with the Chinese government and stated that it would not do so if requested. However, under Chinese law, authorities can request access to data held by private companies.
Source: Business Insider