Months after TikTok ban, Nepalese fight in court while finding ways around it
The Hindu
Nepal lawyer fights TikTok ban, citing government censorship and impact on livelihoods, sparking global debate on social media restrictions
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 mobilise anti-government demonstrations.
Some Nepalis have skirted the ban entirely by accessing TikTok via virtual private networks (VPNs), which use a remote connection that obscures their location. Others like Mr. 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 AFP. "That was not helpful for the government."
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