Nepal Just Shut Down Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X

Media rights organisations have criticised Nepal for ordering internet service providers to block access to popular social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X after the companies disregarded local registration requirements, raising concerns about censorship and free speech.

The Nepal Telecommunications Authority was instructed by the country’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology on Thursday to direct internet service providers to limit access to a total of 26 social media platforms. The action came after ministry officials met earlier in the day.

Data from the Nepal Telecommunications Authority shows that more than 90% of people in Nepal have access to the internet. According to the most recent statistics from web analytics company Statcounter, 87% of the nation’s social media users use Facebook, with 6% using X and 5% using YouTube. However 2% uses other social media platforms.

Discord, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WeChat, Reddit, Snapchat, YouTube, and X are among the platforms on the list that are impacted. The ruling comes after a directive issued on August 25 that gave international social media companies only seven days to register their businesses in Nepal and designate a local point of contact.

The action has drawn criticism from civil society organisations and media advocacy groups. The nonprofit organisation Committee to Protect Journalists, located in New York, stated that the ruling would “seriously hinder journalists’ work and people’s access to news and information.” The bill was also denounced by the Federation of Nepali Journalists, which claimed that it “undermines press freedom and citizens’ right to information.”

The ruling on Thursday follows weeks after Nepal’s Supreme Court earlier this month upheld the government’s local registration requirement, stating that it was intended to prevent disinformation. However, the court instructed officials to “make appropriate legal arrangements immediately, within the framework of the law,” rather than specifically ordering the government to ban platforms that did not register.

Since then, only five including Viber and TikTok which are the notable social media app from Russia have formally registered, and two more are in the process, are exempt from the most recent order; according to the government, these platforms have already complied with the regulations and registered in the nation. And hence the reason for the exemption.

“The decision by Nepal to restrict access to entire social media and web services just because they haven’t registered with the government is very concerning,” stated Raman Jit Singh Chima, Asia Pacific Policy director and Access Now’s Global Cybersecurity lead. He said the strategy was “completely at odds with Nepal’s democratic aspirations and constitutional guarantees — the architecture of censorship seen in the People’s Republic of China’s Great Firewall model of digital authoritarianism.”

Prithvi Subba Gurung, minister of communication and information technology, informed reporters that the government had repeatedly asked platforms, including Meta, to register in Nepal and had given them plenty of opportunity to do so, but they had refused.

Requests for comment were not immediately answered by Meta, Google, or Snap.

The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology sent a public notification (PDF) stating that access to the platforms would be restored after they registered in the nation.

According to Chima, “Nepal should restore access, publish all blocking orders, and transition to a legislative process that narrows vague prohibitions and adds due process, transparency, and meaningful consultation.”

He went on to say that the directive grants the government “sweeping powers to suspend services, order removals, and deputise local ‘grievance’ and’self-regulation’ officers inside companies” in the absence of a clear appeal or independent control.

“That encourages excessive blocking and puts pressure on businesses to remove legal content,” he added.

The public criticised Nepal’s government earlier this year for a proposed social media bill that has not yet been approved. Posts “deemed against national sovereignty or interest” are subject to penalties and imprisonment under the law. The International Federation of Journalists stated that the idea “threatens to severely undermine press freedom and digital expression.”

Minister Gurung stated that the government had “no intention of curtailing freedom of expression” in response to early criticism of the planned legislation. 

The measure would, however, also give the government the power to mandate that social media companies take down specific posts; failure to comply might result in penalties.

A request for comment regarding the blocking decision was not answered by a representative of Nepal’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.

The quick closure, according to Bhola Nath Dhungana, president of Digital Rights Nepal, demonstrates the government’s “controlling” style.

“This directly impacts the public’s fundamental rights,” Dhungana stated. Regulating social media is not a bad idea, but we must first establish the legal framework necessary to carry it out. This kind of hasty conclusion is oppressive.

In the past, Nepal has limited access to well-known internet platforms.

In July, the authorities barred access to the Telegram chat service, alleging an increase in money laundering and online crime.

After TikTok’s South Asia subsidiary promised to abide by Nepali legislation, the country lifted its nine-month ban in August of last year.

The concerns over disinformation, data privacy, online harm, and national security are among the reasons why governments throughout the world which also include those in the US, EU, Brazil, and Australia are also stepping up their regulation of social media and tech. China retains stringent censorship and licensing regulations, while India has legislated local compliance officers and takedown methods.