TikTok’s comeback

The government should be careful not to let social media apps become sites of social discord.

TikTok, a widely popular social media app, is set to come back to the Nepali market after the KP Sharma Oli-led government decided to lift a ban imposed by the previous government headed by Pushpa Kamal Dahal. The then government had raised moral concerns about the app, but now Oli wants to run it with considerable regulatory changes, which will take some time. Even though TikTok was often used to incite communal emotions and spread vulgarity, many took an outright ban as a violation of self-expression and free speech and cited that the app also had positive sides. Therefore, the incumbent government’s decision can be seen as a win-win situation in terms of freedom of expression and the need to demarcate the limits of freedom.