Govt of Nepal bans major social media platforms failed to register

The Government of Nepal has ordered the Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) to bans social media platforms operating in the country without formal registration with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology within the given deadline.

Some of the international social media that did not comply with the registration process mandated under the Directives for Managing the Use of Social Networks, 2023.

The deadline expired on Wednesday night, with none of the large global platforms; including Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), Alphabet (YouTube), X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and LinkedIn, submitting applications. According to MoCIT, platforms that have failed to comply will be deactivated within Nepal, while registered platforms will continue operations. The move follows a directive order issued by the Supreme Court, which instructed the government to ensure all online and social platforms; domestic or foreign are officially listed before operating in Nepal, so that unwanted content can be monitored.

In contrast, TikTok, Viber, Witk, Nimbuzz, and Popo Live have already been listed, while Telegram and Global Diary have applied and are awaiting approval.

In accordance with the decision of the Ministerial Meeting of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology dated 2082/05/19 and the Directive on Regulating the Use of Social Media, 2080, information has been provided as per the decision for the arrangements to deactivate social media platforms operating in Nepal but not listed in Nepal.