The popular social media platform TikTok has officially registered in Nepal. TikTok representatives received its registration letter from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology on Tuesday.

TikTok initiated the registration process in the second week of October in accordance with the 2023 Directives on Operation of Social Networking issued by the government. The platform has committed to following the regulation’s requirements and additional provisions mandated by a Cabinet meeting on August 22.

According to the Cabinet’s decisions, TikTok must contribute to promoting tourism in Nepal, invest in digital literacy initiatives, support improvements in Nepal’s public education system, and ensure decent language use on its platform.

TikTok becomes the third social media company to register with the ministry after Viber and WeChat. The government has also been urging other major social media platforms to complete the registration process.

“Now our laws apply to TikTok within our territory,” said Gajendra Kumar Thakur, spokesperson for the Communications Ministry. “If any unlawful content appears on the platform, Nepal Police’s Cyber Bureau can take action with TikTok’s cooperation. TikTok has already provided certain tools to support Nepal Police in criminal investigations.”

In addition to its commitment to promoting digital literacy and tourism, TikTok has designated Ram Bahadur Thapa as its main focal person for Nepal. “We have limited information about him so far, but TikTok has provided his address, phone number, and other details in its registration application,” Thakur added.

The ministry has also corresponded with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and X CEO Elon Musk, requesting them to register their respective platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and X in Nepal. “Although we haven’t received responses yet, we hope these major companies will reply,” Thakur said. “If they fail to respond, we will follow up. Eventually, they must register.”

The Council of Ministers has made it mandatory that social media platforms operating in Nepal must actively promote the country’s tourism, support internet and digital literacy programmes, and help enhance the quality of public education through digital cooperation in the country. The regulations also require social media companies to implement content moderation and filtering practices, remove material that could harm social harmony or spread obscenity, and aid in controlling cybercrimes.

Digital rights advocates have acknowledged the importance of the registration process but have raised concerns over the content filtering requirement, warning that it could pose risks to freedom of expression. They argue that government directives should not restrict the right to expression based on the agreements reached with the private companies.

The previous coalition government of the Maoist Centre and Nepali Congress, approved the social media regulations on November 9, 2023. Four days later, a Cabinet meeting chaired by Maoist Centre chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal decided to ban TikTok, citing its potential to disrupt social harmony. After nearly ten months, the incumbent government under Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli lifted the TikTok ban in August.

Following the adoption of the social media guidelines, the ministry had formed a five-member social media management unit to oversee the implementation of the regulations. Last year, the unit notified platforms of their obligation to register within three months and emailed English translations of the guidelines to the companies concerned. The ministry hopes TikTok’s registration will encourage other platforms to follow suit.