The ban on TikTok is certain to be lifted

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Nayapage

2024-08-22 00:02

Kathmandu: The government has decided to lift the ban on the social media platform TikTok. The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has prepared to lift the ban on TikTok starting from Thursday.

According to sources from the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung made the decision to lift the ban on TikTok on Wednesday at the ministerial level. This decision, made at the ministerial level on Wednesday, will be presented at the regular Cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday.

The Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda"-led government had decided to ban TikTok during the Cabinet meeting on 27th Kartik 2080 (mid-November 2023), citing the platform's role in spreading social discord and violating social norms.

However, TikTok has been requesting the government to lift the ban by submitting a written commitment to comply with all laws and conditions of Nepal. Chinese Ambassador Chen Song has also shown interest in the TikTok ban issue during almost every political meeting.

TikTok had sent a letter to Minister of Communication Gurung, requesting the removal of the ban.

On Tuesday, under the initiative of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, the government began consultations with the company's Nepal representatives and others regarding the option of reopening TikTok.

In the meantime, TikTok has sent eight letters to the government requesting the removal of the ban. Claiming that the ban violated freedom of expression, 14 separate petitions were filed in the Supreme Court against the TikTok ban.

The court has scheduled a hearing for all these cases on Ashwin 10 (mid-September 2024). The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), a representative body of social media companies like Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Rakuten, and Spotify, sent a letter stating that the ban on TikTok and the government's preparation to monitor other apps without proper legal provisions is against international practices.

Ban and Questions

Since early 2019, TikTok has consistently ranked among the most downloaded apps. The app has faced bans in various countries worldwide, including neighboring India. In the United States, last March, 326 members of Congress voted in favor of a law to either sell or ban TikTok, while 65 voted against it. The latest U.S. legislation proposed giving ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, 165 days to sell its ownership of TikTok.

Approximately 150 million Americans, nearly half of the U.S. population, use TikTok, spending an average of one hour on the app daily, according to various statistics. Globally, the app has around one billion active users, and ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, had a total market value of nearly $223 billion by the end of 2023.

However, ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, has made it clear that it has no intention of selling the popular app. The Chinese government dismissed U.S. concerns as psychological mistrust. China has warned that a ban on TikTok would be counterproductive for the U.S. TikTok's CEO, Shou Zi Chew, has been vocal about this issue.

Neighboring India has imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok. In 2020, due to privacy and security concerns, India banned TikTok along with dozens of other Chinese apps across the country.

TikTok has been accused of having ties with the Chinese government and of passing user data, including that of Americans, to the Chinese Communist Party. However, TikTok has consistently claimed that the company operates independently and has never provided user information to the Chinese government, nor would it do so if requested.

TikTok is the most widely used non-American app. Since TikTok's ownership is with Beijing-based tech giant ByteDance, the app has faced increased scrutiny. According to TikTok, ByteDance's Chinese founders hold a 20% stake with controlled rights, while nearly 60% is owned by institutional investors.

American investment firms like The Carlyle Group, General Atlantic, and Susquehanna International Group are among the major investors. The remaining 20% of the ownership is held by its employees worldwide. Of the five board members of ByteDance, three are American. While Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube collect similar amounts of data, they are American companies.