So far, only three social media platforms listed, including Tiktok, Viber and Vitak, are in discussions with the government representing Facebook's company Meta.
After the government increased pressure on social media platforms to be listed in Nepal compulsorily, Meta's representatives have come to contact. After the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology sent a letter to be listed compulsorily by May 7, META has sent its representatives in Kathmandu and senior officials of the Singapore office to discuss the matter.
So far only three social networks are listed in Nepal including Tiktok, Viber and Vitak. The government has been sending letters to Meta, the 'parent' company of Facebook and Messenger, which has the largest number of users in Nepal, for the last one year asking them to be listed. Government spokesperson and Communications Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung had warned publicly that companies that do not come to be listed will not be allowed to operate in Nepal.
*Rujan Sarwar Khan, Public Policy Manager of Asia Pacific region for META and a representative of the company's legion officer, informed Gurung's personal secretary Bikram Neupane that there is a program to discuss matters including the registration of META with Communications Minister Gurung on Thursday. "After the continuous efforts of the Ministry, Meta's representatives are ready to come in contact, representatives of other companies are also in contact with us," Neupane said.
Even though the users registered complaints about platforms like Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads in the Social Media Management Unit of the Ministry of Communication, the Ministry was confused as to what to do with those complaints as the company was not listed. "After META is listed, other companies will definitely be listed," says Gajendra Kumar Thakur, spokesperson of the Ministry of Communications.
Ministry of Information Technology Expert Advisor Dr. Shaligram Parajuli also said that META wants to discuss with the minister to be clear about the listing. Along with Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X (Twitter), YouTube, Google, and LinkedIn, the government has implemented the 'Guideline 2080 to Manage the Use of Social Networks' with provisions to list social media platforms in Nepal. In section 3 of the
directory, there is a provision that individuals, companies or organizations that want to operate social networks must register with the Ministry of Communications. Section 6 of the same directive mentions that social media companies should arrange contact points in Nepal, officers to hear resident complaints and officers to monitor self-regulation compliance.
'We expect that they will help us to investigate matters that are inconsistent with our laws, to come under tax and to remove content that is against the law,' says spokesperson Thakur, 'We have examples of Tiktok, Viber being listed. Representatives of these companies are with us. Companies have helped the government in crime investigation, content monitoring. Similar support is also expected from the main platforms like Meta.
After the government passed the guidelines on social media on 23rd October 2080, the representative organization of social media platforms, Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), expressed serious concern about it and responded that the guidelines were unreasonable and against international standards. AIC, which is a member of information technology companies like Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Rakuten, and Spotify, had sent three consecutive letters to the Nepal government in 2023 and 2024, complaining that some provisions were unreasonable and harsh.
"The provision that social media platforms must be listed in the ministry may discourage foreign direct investment in Nepal," the letter said, "The unreasonable and harsh provision to remove content within 24 hours will hinder the social media platform from conducting a proper study on issues related to freedom of expression." There was no discussion.
Instead, since then, the government has been issuing notices on different dates asking the social media platforms operating in Nepal to be listed within three months and sometimes within one month. Despite repeated requests, Facebook and Messenger's parent company Meta, which has the largest number of users in Nepal, Elon Musk's X along with other famous platforms like LinkedIn, Snapchat etc.
In Nepal, the government has also registered a bill related to social media, proposing a provision that the platform will be closed if the social media app is operated without being listed and without obtaining a permit. In the 'Bill to regulate the operation, use and regulation of social networks' registered in the National Assembly, a condition has been proposed to allow the platform to be operated only with permission.
Nepal has been charging foreign technology companies 2 percent of annual turnover DST. In Nepal, American technology companies like Microsoft, Google, Meta, Adobe, Netflix, Amazon, Apple paid 41.5 million rupees DST in the last financial year 2080/81.
According to the Economic Act 2080, non-resident individuals or companies with an annual turnover of more than 20 lakh rupees have been paying 2 percent of the annual turnover value of the electronic service tax and 13 percent of the VAT in Nepal. According to the government's guidelines, if they register their business in Nepal, they will pay only 13 percent VAT and the revenue that Nepal is getting from that may be lost, according to the revenue official.
*Corrected
