Nepal ends TikTok ban after nine months.

Nepal has finally lifted its ban on TikTok, nine months after suspending the popular video-sharing platform for disturbing “social harmony,” according to Communications Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung. The decision comes after TikTok’s South Asia division assured Nepal of following regulations and requested the ban be lifted.

The ban was initially imposed in November last year after a directive requiring social media platforms to establish offices in the country, following an anti-government protest led by a TikTok personality. The move faced criticism from free speech advocates and affected popular accounts with approximately 2.2 million users in Nepal.

Amidst these developments, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has been facing challenges globally. The United States has sued TikTok for endangering children’s privacy by collecting data without parental consent, and there are ongoing legal battles regarding ByteDance’s ownership of the app.