The government has decided to deactivate all social media platforms except for seven that have registered or applied for registration with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
According to Gajendra Kumar Thakur, the ministry’s spokesperson, only five social media platforms are currently registered in Nepal. Two others are in the process of registration, Thakur said.
“Five are registered, and two are in the process,” he said. “We don’t even know how many social media platforms are operating or who runs them. Therefore, we have decided to block all platforms except those that are registered or in the process of registration.”
Viber, WeTalk, TikTok, Nimbuzz, and Poppo Live are already registered.
Similarly, Telegram and Global Diary are in the process of registration.
“We have asked all platforms operating in Nepal, except for these seven, to be deactivated,” he said. “The day they apply for registration, they will become active again.”
The ministry has already issued directives to the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) to implement this decision.
The NTA will identify and deactivate social media platforms accordingly, Thakur said.
The government had specifically corresponded with only two social media platforms, urging them to register in Nepal.
Letters were repeatedly sent to Meta, the parent company of Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) to register.
However, these companies ignored the requests and failed to register, leading to the decision to block them.
“We only corresponded with Meta and Twitter. We didn’t send letters to others because we don’t know where their offices are. Since they didn’t comply despite repeated requests, we were compelled to act,” spokesperson Thakur said. “For other social media platforms, we had issued a public notice.”
Previously, the government had decided to ban Telegram on July 18, citing an increase in criminal activities such as fraud through the platform.
Following that decision, a Telegram representative visited Nepal from Dubai, Thakur said.
“They didn’t come initially. After the ban, one of their representatives came. They discussed how to lift the ban and agreed to follow the registration process,” he said. “It’s now in the process. We will review and lift the ban soon.”
Social media platforms have been asked to register based on the guidelines for regulating social media platforms.
For this, social media platforms can apply online, and they must designate a point of contact or focal/nodal person, Thakur said.
If registered with Nepal’s tax office, they must provide their tax number, or if based abroad, they must provide their foreign registration number.
“Once registered, if any complaints arise, we can address them by contacting the designated person to resolve the issue,” Thakur explained.
When asked why companies like Meta, which are reportedly registered with the tax office, need to register again, Thakur cited a Supreme Court ruling.
“The Supreme Court’s directive mandates registration with an authorized body, which is our ministry,” he said.
The Supreme Court has also ordered the creation of a law regarding registration or listing of social media platforms.
The ministry has drafted such a law, which is currently under discussion in the National Assembly, Thakur added. However, the guideline itself is a form of law, he added.
Meanwhile, the NTA has written to all mobile and internet service providers to block 26 social media platforms.
Social media platforms to be blocked:
1. Facebook
2. Facebook Messenger
3. Instagram
4. YouTube
5. WhatsApp
6. X (formerly Twitter)
7. LinkedIn
8. Snapchat
9. Reddit
10. Discord
11. Pinterest
12. Signal
13. Threads
14. WeChat
15. Quora
16. Tumblr
17. Clubhouse
18. Mastodon
19. Rumble
20. MeWe
21. VK
22. Line
23. IMO
24. Zalo
25. Soul
26. Hamro Patro
