What's happened
Nepal bans TikTok due to concerns over social harmony and malicious content.
Why it matters
The ban on TikTok in Nepal is significant as it reflects the government's efforts to regulate social media platforms and maintain social harmony. It also adds to the growing list of countries that have banned or restricted TikTok due to concerns over data privacy and national security.
What the papers say
The ban on TikTok in Nepal is in line with several other countries, including India and Afghanistan, that have banned the app due to concerns over data privacy and national security. However, there are differing opinions on the ban within Nepal, with some political leaders criticizing the government's decision as an attempt to stifle freedom of expression. Gagan Thapa, leader of the Nepali Congress Party, stated that while regulation is necessary, shutting down social media in the name of regulation is wrong.
How we got here
The ban on TikTok in Nepal comes after the country introduced new rules to regulate social media platforms, including the requirement for companies to set up liaison offices in the country. TikTok has faced scrutiny in several countries over concerns that user data could be shared with the Chinese government, although the company has repeatedly denied these allegations.
More on these topics
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Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a country in South Asia. It is mainly in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It is the 49th largest country by population and 93rd largest country by area.
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TikTok/Douyin is a Chinese video-sharing social networking service owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based Internet technology company founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming.