Amid the government's stance that social media companies must be listed in Nepal and otherwise they will not be allowed to operate, the government has given Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and others, a last chance to come into the process within a week. Government Spokesperson and Minister of Communication and Information Technology Prithvisubba Gurung on Friday reiterated the warning that META will be closed if it does not follow the process within seven days.

In an interactive program on the right to information organized by the National Information Commission, Minister Gurung accused Meta of refusing three consecutive opportunities and even requesting through the representative. Mentioning that META has an insulting tendency to say that it does not follow the laws of the country in which it does business, Minister Gurung, who has been aggressive against the company, said that discussions and facilitation efforts are still being made with META at the staff level. said. 

"Shouldn't we do business in Nepal and follow the registration process according to the rules of that country?" He requested to be listed in the ministry. He is clear that listing is mandatory to manage the social network, to make it responsible and accountable to the society.  In the

program, Minister Gurung also expressed his views on the rationale and importance of the social media bill registered in Parliament. He claims that the Social Media Bill is important to regulate activities that disrupt the social harmony of the country, promote criminal activities, interfere in personal lives, attack national integrity and independence in the name of freedom. 

Last Thursday, in a formal discussion with the government of Nepal, the representative of Meta promised to send his answer within the deadline given to be listed in Nepal, but no answer has been received yet, according to the ministry source. is Meanwhile, the ministry has also mentioned that it is also studying the impact of shutting down unlisted social media platforms.  Gajendra Kumar Thakur, spokesman of the ministry, said that with the silence of

meta, the ministry is evaluating the technical, legal and social impact of the possible next steps. In the conversation with us, Meta said that he will send an answer. But we have not been able to understand why it is not being sent,' he said. Studying the next process and making a response is being done.'  Thakur said that the government (Ministerial level or Council of Ministers) will take the final decision after determining the necessary strategy based on the

evaluation. Communications Minister Gurung has said that he will extend the time for Meta to be listed as a last chance. The ministry has prepared to talk with Meta again and move forward. 

Just last Thursday, a representative from Singapore including Rujan Sarwar, Public Policy Manager of Metaki, had a virtual conversation with Ministry officials along with Communications Secretary Radhika Aryal for about an hour.  An officer participating in the discussion said that in the

conversation, Meta's representative expressed his intention to follow the laws of Nepal, but the company is not obliged to be listed according to the guidelines.

Ministry has been requesting individuals, companies or organizations who want to operate social media to be listed in the ministry according to section 3 of the 'Guidelines for Managing the Use of Social Media, 2080'. In section 6 of the guidelines, it is mentioned that social media companies should arrange contact points in Nepal, authorities to hear resident complaints and authorities to monitor self-regulation compliance.  Along with the

directive, the Cabinet meeting led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has been repeatedly reminding the companies to comply with the conditions including mandatory listing of the responsibilities to be followed by social media platforms. is But so far, only Tiktok, Viber and Vitak have been listed, said Mamta Bastola, head of the Ministry's Social Media Management Unit.