The Nepalese government has announced that it will block access to Facebook, YouTube, X, and most other social media platforms. Authorities said the shutdown comes as these companies failed to comply with the registration process. According to the government, the move—announced Thursday (4 September)—is part of efforts to curb online hate speech, rumors, and cybercrime. Al Jazeera reported the news.
Minister for Communication and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung said, “We gave them sufficient time for registration and repeatedly urged them, but they ignored it. As a result, we had to shut down their operations in Nepal.”
The companies were given until Wednesday to register with the Ministry of Information and Technology, provide details of a local contact person, grievance officer, and representative responsible for self-regulation. Otherwise, they were warned of a shutdown.
Ministry spokesperson Gajendra Kumar Thakur told that unregistered social media platforms would be deactivated.
Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp), Alphabet (parent company of YouTube), X, Reddit, and LinkedIn were all asked to register by Wednesday.
However, AFP reported that the platforms were still accessible on Thursday.
This online ban is being enforced as part of a directive issued in 2023, which required social media platforms with millions of users in Nepal for entertainment, news, and business purposes to register and set up a local office.
So far, only five platforms—such as TikTok and Viber—have officially registered. Two others are in the process.
Bhola Nath Dhungana, president of Digital Rights Nepal, said that such sudden bans show the government’s “controlling” attitude.
He said, “This directly undermines the fundamental rights of the people.”
According to him, “It is not wrong to regulate social media, but before doing so, a proper legal framework must be established. Shutting them down suddenly amounts to imposing control.”
Nepal has previously blocked access to popular online platforms.
In July of this year, the government banned the Telegram app, citing a rise in online fraud and money laundering.
