TikTok still operational in Nepal, MP demands complete enforcement of law and ban

Kathmandu [Nepal], March 1 : A member of Parliament of Nepal's House of Representatives has called for a complete enforcement of law to ban the Chinese video-sharing platform TikTok which was banned by the government of Nepal earlier in November 2023.

Pradip Yadav, chief whip of Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP), on Friday's lower house

meeting called for the government's action to completely ban TikTok which was blocked by

government owing to complaints of spreading social disharmony.

At Friday's meeting, Yadav stated that some of the Internet Service Providers were not

abiding by the government's decision to ban TikTok making it operational on their

client's mobile phones.

"Government of Nepal weeks back imposed ban on Tik-Tok which indeed is a

welcome move. This particular social media platform was being misused to spread

hatred and create social disharmony on the basis of community, religion, culture and

customs as well as the family structure. It was a means to bring in disparity and

disharmony, it still is progressing because the government-imposed ban on Tik-Tok but

it got confined only in paper. Some Internet Service Providers (ISP) haven't abided

government's decision to ban it, the state should take necessary actions," Chief Whip of

JSP, Pradip Yadav said.

The Himalayan Nation on November 13 through a cabinet meeting had decided to ban

the Chinese video sharing platform Tik-Tok alleging it of disrupting the social harmony,

breaking off the family and societal relation. Chinese social media Tik Tok does not

have any provisions to remove offensive contents.

Following the cabinet level decision on November, the Nepal Telecommunication

Authority of Nepal had sent a stern warning to all the Internet Service Providers against

failure to shut the Chinese social media platform TikTok.

"According to the decision of the Council of Ministers of Nepal on 07/27/2080, due to the

negative impact on the social harmony and social environment through Tiktok, which is

being used as a social network, the authority given by section 15 of the

Telecommunications Act, 2053 is used to implement the said decision," release from the

Nepal Telecommunication Authority states.

The NTA also had warned of taking actions as per the Section 47 of Telecommunications Act, 2053 at the time. Following which, the ISPslicense of some of the ISP also were revoked. Though the Chief Whip of JSP called on government to enforce strict measures he didn't mention the name or the number of service providers who is yet to abide by the law.

Soon after the ban on Tik-Tok over a dozen petitions were filed at the Supreme Court of

Nepal requesting an interim order to immediately lift the ban. But the court on November

21, 2023 had denied to issue an immediate order.

Instead, the supreme legislative body of Nepal has issued show cause notice against

the government over its decision to ban the Tik Tok which was made on 13 November,

2023. A single bench hearing conducted by justice Binod Sharma had issued the order.

A total of 13 writ petitions were filed at the Supreme Court against the move of the

government seeking an interim order to lift the ban imposed through the meeting of the

Council of Ministers. The Government defending the ban has claimed that the app has

been violating the harmony in the society.

Petitioners also had demanded for an interim order from the Supreme Court over the

ban on the video sharing social media platform which had about 2 million users in the

Himalayan Nation. Writ petitions filed in the Supreme Court claiming the ban

undermines the Freedom of expression of the public violating the provisions of the

constitutions.

Later, through a final hearing the court stayed on the decision of the government to ban

the video sharing platform. Meanwhile, in India, the government had in June 2020

banned TikTok along with several other Chinese apps, over national security concerns.

Prior to the ban, the app had about 150 million monthly active users in India.

Moreover, concerning the security issues with the TikTok app, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Afghanistan, Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway have imposed

partial or complete bans respectively on the video-sharing application.

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