The Government of Nepal has instructed the Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA), the country’s internet regulator, to block social media sites that are not registered in Nepal. NTA has relayed the prohibitory order to all the Internet Service Providers of Nepal. As a result, Nepalis will not be able to use major social media platforms such as Facebook, Messenger, X, Instagram, Reddit, and LinkedIn, among others, starting on Thursday midnight.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram, has reportedly requested the government for documents required for registration, following the announcement of the ban.
The government has backed its decision with provisions in the Social Media Directives 2023 and a Supreme Court order making registration of social media mandatory before operation.
Earlier in November 2023, the government banned TikTok, citing its role in disrupting ‘social harmony.’ The ban was lifted in August 2024 after TikTok agreed to register in Nepal. After the new ban, Nepalis will still be able to use TikTok, Viber, Witk, Nimbuzz, and Popo Live as they have already registered.
“We had long been saying that social media platforms should come forward for registration, but they did not,” said Prithvi Subba Gurung, the information minister and government spokesperson. “Registration does not cost a single penny, yet they did not come. Therefore, starting today, we will shut down all unregistered social media platforms.”
The government issued at least five public notices and wrote to the major social media platforms calling for registration. Observers even mocked Gurung for repeated warnings with no response from the platform operators.
The government is now facing criticisms from within and outside the government coalition. Ram Hari Khatiwada, a lawmaker from the ruling coalition’s Nepali Congress Party, objected the government decision while talking to journalists in the Federal Parliament premises. Likewise, lawmaker Sumana Shrestha from the opposition Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) shared a video post labelling the ban as a ‘dictatorial move.’
Press freedom and human rights advocacy groups have already started criticising the government decision. Freedom Forum has expressed its concerns over the action of the government. Freedom Forum Executive Chief Taranath Dahal comments, “Social media platforms have become an efficient, instant mode of communication and an open place for democratic discourse. The government’s authoritarian move to ban these platforms is a strict violation of citizen’s right to free expression and access to information.”
Nepali netizens received signals from the government and ruling party officials early in the morning. On Thursday, Bishnu Rimal, the chief advisor to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, took to Facebook to lament social media addiction among the Nepali people.
“Perhaps due to the antisocial behaviour of some undesirable elements and the irresponsibility of certain individuals, the respected Supreme Court has ordered a ban within Nepal until companies designate a local point of contact, establish self-regulation mechanisms, and appoint resident grievance officers,” Rimal wrote.
Shankar Pokharel, the general secretary of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), made a similar statement on the same platform. “Until social media remains shut, let us try to restore the good social traditions it has disrupted.”
People of Nepal, however, did not receive advisor Rimal’s ‘overgeneralisation’ of social media addiction and general secretary Pokharel’s love for ‘traditions’ very well, directing criticisms at them. To add context, the Government of Nepal has a bill for the operation, use, and regulation of social media in the parliament, which also faced criticisms for attempts to curb freedom of expression. Critics have argued that the bill’s vague provisions, such as those allowing authorities to remove “indecent” or “misleading” content, could be misused to suppress dissent and curtail freedom of speech. The Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) and Nepal Press Union (NPU) have urged the government to withdraw the bill, citing its potential to undermine press freedom and digital expression.
The creator economy and e-commerce activities budding on these platforms will also suffer alongside expressions from the people as a result of the ban.
