Nepalis fight TikTok ban in court

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AFP) — When Nepal suddenly announced a ban on TikTok last year, lawyer Sunil Rajan Singh was determined to fight what he said was a government effort to hide its wrongdoings.

The hugely popular video-sharing platform has faced restrictions in several countries for allegedly breaking data rules and for its supposed harmful impact on youth.

Last week, the United States became the latest nation poised to ban the app outright, unless Chinese parent company ByteDance agrees to divest it.

Efforts to restrict access to TikTok have prompted vocal opposition wherever they have been attempted but especially so in Nepal, where the platform had been used to mobilize anti-government demonstrations.

Some Nepalis have skirted the ban entirely by accessing TikTok via virtual private networks, which use a remote connection that obscures their location. Others like Singh are determined to fight.

“The government’s move is against freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by Nepal’s constitution,” said the attorney, who is leading a legal challenge to the ban in the Himalayan republic’s top court.

“On TikTok, the public would learn about corruption, financial embezzlement and other immoral activities of leaders,” he told Agence France-Presse. “That was not helpful for the government.”