The Nepal government has decided to progressively block all social media platforms that have not registered within the country, including Facebook. This decision was made at a meeting of ministry officials, according to Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, who is also the government spokesperson.
The government had previously given social media platforms a one-week “final” deadline to register, which expired on Wednesday night. Minister Gurung stated that this decision is in line with a recent Cabinet resolution and a Supreme Court directive, both of which mandated the registration of online platforms.
The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has issued a brief notice directing the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) to begin deactivating unregistered platforms.
The ministry’s notice stated, “It is hereby informed to all concerned stakeholders that the Nepal Telecommunications Authority has been instructed to deactivate social media platforms that did not contact the ministry for registration within the deadline and to reactivate them the moment they register.”
According to Minister Gurung, platforms like Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and YouTube have not registered during this period.
The government’s directive is based on the Social Media Usage Management Directive issued in November 2023. Under this directive, both domestic and foreign companies must submit their articles of association, registration certificates, latest tax clearance certificates, details of the board of directors, privacy policy, data usage policy, information security policy, and a grievance redressal process.
The registration process is described as simple, free of charge, and unrelated to taxes, with the option to be completed online. The government also requires these platforms to appoint a local point of contact, a resident grievance officer, and an officer to oversee compliance.
Users, who are already familiar with VPNs from the past ban on TikTok, could use them to bypass the restrictions. This widespread use of VPNs would increase international traffic, potentially degrading the overall quality of internet service in Nepal. Instead of content coming from local servers, it would be routed through international bandwidth, straining the country’s capacity.
Currently, only a handful of social media platforms, including TikTok and Viber, have registered in Nepal.
Suraj Ghimire
View More PostsSuraj Ghimire is a Nepali journalist based in Kathmandu. He focuses on political, social, migration, and international issues. He has also worked with various national television networks in Nepal.
