Nepal bans Facebook, other social media platforms

Kathmandu: Nepal on Thursday banned social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube among others for failing to register with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology within the given deadline.

According to the notice issued by the ministry, the social media companies were given seven days from August 28 to register.

Even when the deadline expired on Wednesday night, none of the large social media platforms — including Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), Alphabet (YouTube), X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and LinkedIn —submitted applications.

However, TikTok, Viber, Witk, Nimbuzz, and Popo Live have been listed, while Telegram and Global Diary have applied and are in the process of approval, according to the ministry.

Facebook and other social media companies have not yet made any comments on the Nepal government’s decision.

The decision to ban social media platforms that do not comply with the registration process mandated under the directives for Managing the Use of Social Networks, 2023 was taken at a meeting chaired by Minister of Communications and IT Prithvi Subba Gurung, as per the sources in the ministry.

The ministry also directed the Nepal Telecommunications Authority to disable unregistered social sites.

The ban will come into effect from Thursday midnight, the ministry sources added.

“Except for the five listed platforms and two in the process, all others will be deactivated within Nepal,” said ministry spokesperson Gajendra Kumar Thakur, adding that if any platform completes registration, it will be reopened the same day.

The decision will certainly affect millions of Nepalese living abroad, earning or learning, as most of them use social media platforms such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp every day for communication, pointed out observers. Pralhad Rijal, senior journalist and editor of Arthik Dainik, a business daily, said, “More than seven million youth are staying outside Nepal for higher studies or for employment. This will directly affect their communication with their family and friends at home.”

Another way the ban on Facebook will impact here is that the platform had recently included Nepal in its list of countries eligible for content monetisation, allowing users to earn directly from videos, reels or stories. Meanwhile, Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) raised objection to the government decision to ban these social media sites and demanded immediate withdrawal of the decision.

“The government’s move to ban social media sites without giving alternatives not only restricts freedom of expression and press freedom but it also affects the right to information guaranteed by the constitution,” a statement by Ram Prasad Dahal, general secretary of FNJ, said.

The federation demanded immediate withdrawal of the restriction by respecting the right to information, freedom of expression and press freedom, the statement added.