Hey, have you heard the latest? In a move that’s becoming rather trendy worldwide, Nepal has just hopped on the bandwagon. During a cabinet meeting today, they’ve decided to join the list of countries imposing restrictions on TikTok. That’s right, the wildly popular app is facing a ban in Nepal.
Yes, Nepal bans TikTok
Narayan Prakash Saud, Nepal’s Foreign Minister, made it clear: the ban on TikTok is effective immediately. It seems like TikTok‘s dance moves and viral challenges won’t be gracing Nepalese screens for a while.
“The government has decided to ban TikTok as it was necessary to regulate the use of the social media platform that was disrupting social harmony, goodwill and flow of indecent materials,” Saud said.
But wait, there’s a bit of a plot twist. TikTok isn’t just going to vanish overnight. Before the ban goes into full effect, there’s some behind-the-scenes tech work to be done. TikTok’s been in talks with the Cyber Bureau of the Nepal Police and the Ministry of Home Affairs. The big switch-off will only happen once all those technical ducks are in a row, and as of now, they haven’t shared a timeline for this digital curtain call.
And here’s the kicker: This TikTok ban is part of a bigger picture. Nepal’s recently rolled out the ‘Directives on the Operation of Social Networking 2023’. It’s like setting ground rules for the big players in social media – think Meta, X, YouTube, and the likes. These platforms, now, need to set up a local office in Nepal. Why, you ask? Well, it turns out, the lack of a local presence has been a real headache for the Nepalese Government, especially when it comes to addressing user concerns and nixing objectionable content.
In other news, TikTok’s been skating on some thin ice lately. The platform recently got slapped with a hefty $368 million fine. The reason? Not quite playing by the rules when it comes to handling the data of its younger users. Talk about a costly oops moment!
But wait, there’s more. The European Commission is now turning up the heat, asking TikTok to spill the beans on how they plan to keep kids safe on their platform. It’s like the digital world’s version of a parent-teacher meeting, and TikTok’s definitely got some explaining to do.
Yet, it’s not all doom and gloom for TikTok. They’re still making some big-time moves in the entertainment world. To jazz things up for their 100th anniversary, Disney just teamed up with TikTok. And to add some extra sizzle to the party, they’re bringing in Pulse Premiere, making the TikTok experience even more dazzling.
But here’s the twist in the tale. TikTok, the brainchild of China’s ByteDance, has been under the global microscope. From the United States to Britain and New Zealand, governments are giving TikTok the side-eye, worrying that Beijing might use the app as a sneaky way to gather user data or push its agenda. Despite TikTok’s firm “nope” to sharing data with the Chinese government, the suspicion lingers.
So, as TikTok dances between deals and dilemmas, the app’s future remains a thrilling, if unpredictable, story to follow.
