Kathmandu – Social media and video platform TikTok has now officially registered and received permission to operate in Nepal. TikTok representatives completed the required procedures at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology on Tuesday and received a registration certificate.
According to Gajendra Kumar Thakur, the ministry’s joint secretary and spokesperson, the decision to register TikTok was made before the Tihar festival. After submitting the necessary documents, TikTok has now established formal contact with the government of Nepal.
To regulate TikTok’s activities in Nepal, four conditions were set, which TikTok has committed to following. The company has also obtained a taxpayer identification number (PAN) and is now legally allowed to operate in the country.
On Kartik 27, 2080 BS (around November 2023), the government had banned TikTok, citing concerns about ‘disruption of social harmony.’ However, on Bhadra 6, 2081 BS, the government decided to lift the ban conditionally. Following discussions with TikTok’s South Asia team, the platform was officially reopened on Bhadra 19.
Thakur stated that TikTok has promised to assist in cybercrime investigations and has provided the Cyber Bureau with necessary equipment. He added that TikTok plans to improve content management and has agreed to involve Nepali personnel in managing the “content filtering” process from Singapore.
Thakur also mentioned that if TikTok’s AI system cannot filter content in Nepal, the platform has committed to remove any objectionable content within 48 hours in coordination with the Cyber Bureau.
