by Nepal banned the use of TikTok in the country due to fears that its content was “harmful to social harmony”.
The country joined its neighbor India in stopping the use of the video sharing app, which is run from China.
Nepal’s Communications Minister Rekha Sharma said: “It disrupts social harmony and disrupts family structures and social relationships.”
“The decision to ban was made today, and the relevant authorities are currently addressing the technical issues.”
TikTok has more than a billion monthly users but has been mired in controversy over alleged data protection breaches and its potentially harmful impact on youth.
Nepal has followed the lead of India and other countries and UK security minister Tom Tugendhat has not ruled out a complete ban on TikTok. Here’s a comprehensive look at all the countries that have banned TikTok.
United Kingdom
TikTok was banned from UK government phones on March 16.
Security Minister Tom Tugendhat told Sky News he had asked the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) to look into the app. He said it was “absolutely essential” to “keep the UK’s diplomatic processes free and safe”.
TikTok was also fined £12.7 million by the UK’s data watchdog for failing to protect children’s privacy. Up to 1.4 million UK youngsters under the age of 13 were reportedly allowed to use TikTok in 2020.
According to an inquiry by the Information Commissioner’s Office, the video-sharing website exploited the data of children this age without their parents’ consent (ICO).
Although the owner of TikTok, ByteDance, has tried to settle a lawsuit and raise concerns about it, some nations have decided to ban it in whole or in part.
United States
Montana has become the first US state to ban TikTok from personal devices, a change that will take effect in January.
On February 28, the US government revealed that it had ordered all of its federal employees to remove TikTok from their government-issued phones to protect confidential data.
More than half of the 50 US states have banned the app from government devices.
A spokesman for China’s foreign ministry condemned the move, saying: “We firmly oppose such wrong actions. The US government should respect the principles of the market economy and fair competition, stop suppressing the companies, and provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for foreign companies in the US.”
They added: “How insecure in itself can the best superpower in the world like the USA be afraid of such a favorite app of young people.”
However, lawmakers blocked national legislation to ban the app from operating in the US in March, citing concerns about free speech and unequal treatment of social media companies.
Australia
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese agreed to ban TikTok following a review by the Department of Home Affairs.
Attorney General Mark Dreyfus confirmed in a statement that the ban would take effect “as soon as practicable” and that exceptions would only be made when necessary and after security precautions have been taken.
Lee Hunter, TikTok’s general manager for Australia and New Zealand, confirmed that the app should not be mentioned.
In a statement, Hunter said TikTok should not be treated differently from other social media platforms as “there is no evidence to suggest that it is in any way a security issue for Australians”.
France
France has banned the “recreational” use of TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and other apps on government employees’ phones due to concerns about inadequate data security measures.
The ban is to come into effect immediately, the Ministry of Public Sector Reform and Civil Service wrote on Twitter on March 24.
He added that over the past several weeks, many of France’s European and international partners have taken steps to restrict or ban the download and installation or use of the Chinese-owned video sharing app TikTok by their administrative part.
Mr. Guerini said that recreational applications do not have sufficient levels of cyber security and data protection to be deployed on administration equipment, adding that exemptions can be given for professional reasons, such as the administration’s institutional communications.
Canada
The North American nation has also banned TikTok from being installed on any government-issued device.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau explained the reason: “I suspect that with the government taking a significant step to tell all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones, many Canadians from business to individuals consider their own security. details and possibly make choices,
“I always value giving Canadians the information to make the right decisions for them.”
The European Union
The wave of bans within the EU began when the European Commission and Council of the EU temporarily banned TikTok from employee phones as a cyber security measure.
Later, on February 28, the European Parliament revealed that it would follow suit.
Apart from downloading the video-sharing app onto their work phones, employees are banned from accessing the platform on their private devices – if they have their parliamentary email and other network access installed.
India
India banned TikTok in June 2020 along with several other Chinese apps. He believes the app threatens his national security and defense – and also encourages pornography.
India was TikTok’s biggest international market before the ban, with more than 200 million users.
Taiwan
In 2022, the Taiwanese government banned TikTok from all public sector devices. This followed concerns that the Chinese government was waging “cognitive warfare” against the nation.
Pakistan
Pakistan has banned the video sharing app several times, with the latest ban ending in November 2021.
Afghanistan
In April 2022, a Taliban spokesperson said the government was planning to ban the app. This happened because of the negative influence he had on the younger generation and his inconsistencies with Islamic laws.
It was recently banned, with the Taliban saying the app’s “dirty content was not in line with Islamic laws”, according to The Sun.
Iran
In Iran, TikTok is completely banned because TikTok rules and Iranian laws are not compatible.
Nepal
The Asian country confirmed the ban in November 2023, citing TikTok as “harmful to social harmony”.
More than 1,600 cybercrime cases related to TikTok have been registered in the last four years in Nepal, according to local media reports.
Purushottam Khanal, chairman of Nepal Telecom Authority, said internet service providers have been asked to shut down the app.
