Nepal has entered the list of countries where the internet will be shut down

Nepal has been placed in the "New Offender" list in the annual report published by the organization "Access Now" which advocates digital rights and "Keep It On" which is campaigning against internet bans. Among the 'past offenders', it is mentioned that the Internet has been shut down repeatedly in countries like Iran, China, and Ethiopia.

According to the report, the government of Nepal has shut down the social network Tik Tok, so it is in the list of countries where the internet will be shut down. "Governments from Senegal to Ethiopia, Nepal to India and Russia have consistently shut down the Internet and sensitive digital communication platforms to stifle expression, prevent access to critical information, and cover up heinous crimes against humanity," the report says on page 9.

On October 27, the government of Nepal announced the closure of Tik Tok, saying that social harmony had been disturbed. Although 14 separate writ petitions have been registered against it in the Supreme Court, it has not yet been heard. The Supreme Court has recently fixed a new date for October 10, 2081 by consolidating all the 14 writs as attachment cases. After there was no debate on the date of payment fixed for Baisakh 27, the new payment date was fixed. 30 local organizations that have been advocating for digital rights have also been asking for a correction, saying that by completely banning Tiktok, blocking this important platform of communication and expression shows the government's intention to limit the opportunity to participate in the global digital community.

According to the 'Shrinking Democracy, Growing Violence' report, there were 283 internet shutdowns in 2023 in a total of 39 countries. According to the report, the government, military and other agencies are using internet shutdown as a weapon to maintain their control during sensitive moments of public concern or crisis. Among the countries that shut down the Internet for the first time in 2023, Tiktok in Nepal, Telegram in Kenya, Metaka in Suriname, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram were shut down. The report mentions that the Internet has been shut down more than 500 times in the last five years in India, which has been at the forefront of internet shutdowns for the sixth time in a row.

In India, which is called the world's largest democracy, the internet ban has plunged millions of people into darkness, the report says, 'In 2023 alone, 13 states ordered shutdowns, of which there were more than five instances of internet bans in India.' Journalist Akash Anand mentioned in the news of Gadget 360 (NDTV) that in the first six months of the financial year 2023, the Indian economy lost about 1.9 billion dollars due to the internet shutdown in the states.

'The internet was shut down in the northeastern state of Manipur,' he wrote, 'Earlier, the internet was also blocked in Punjab.' were deprived of the Internet.

Internet shutdowns have occurred 167 times in seven countries in the Asia Pacific region. After India, there have been 37 internet shutdown incidents in Myanmar, 7 in Pakistan, 3 in Bangladesh, 2 in China and one each in Indonesia and Nepal, according to Access Now. The report specifically covers internet shutdowns by governments under various pretexts. In Ukraine and Palestine, it has been disclosed that the shutdown happened because the internet was blocked by a third party, not the government.

Access Now has been publishing global statistics on internet shutdowns since 2016. According to the report, this year saw the highest number of shutdowns and an increase of 41 percent in 2023 compared to 2022. In 2023, there were 74 internet shutdowns in 9 countries due to natural disasters, 63 times in 15 countries due to protests, 12 times in 6 countries due to examinations and 5 times due to elections in 5 countries.