The deadline given by the government to compulsorily list social media platforms within seven days is ending today. However, till the time of preparing this news, none of the big platforms have come in contact with the Ministry for the registration process. If so, will the government take a drastic decision to close social networks like Facebook, X, and Instagram that are accessible to tens of millions of people? Why is the government trying to regulate social networks? Is it only the government's compulsion or is there some other intention hidden behind it? And are social networks in other countries regulated by the government? If so, why is it not happening in Nepal? We have tried to explain these and similar common questions in seven questions and answers.

Are social networks closing down in Nepal? What is the government doing for this?

The deadline given by the government to the social media platforms to be listed within seven days is ending today . So far, big platforms like Meta, Alphabet, X, Reddit, LinkedIn have not come in contact with the Ministry for the registration process. The government has warned that the social networks that are not listed in the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology within the specified time will be gradually deactivated . According to the ministry sources, the measure of 'partial shutdown' will be adopted without shutting down suddenly. This means that there has been a discussion about implementing measures such as not being able to send messages on social media, not being able to make video calls. Till the time of preparing this article, the Ministry of Communications is waiting to see if the social media platforms that are yet to be listed, including Meta, will send emails. Ministry spokesperson Gajendra Kumar Thakur said that they are optimistic as the deadline is till 12 pm tonight. "Friends in the ministry are refreshing their emails," he said, "so far no platform has contacted us."

What did the government do to list social networks? How many times have you corresponded?

The government has issued notices asking the platforms to be listed five times. First of all, on November 15, 2080, individuals, companies or organizations wishing to operate a social media platform were requested to be listed in the ministry within three months. On August 25, 2081, a notice was published on the Ministry's website to implement the guidelines and the government's decision. On January 21, 2081, Gorkhapatra and The Rising Nepal published notices and called for listing. Last time notification was published on 7th March 2081 giving 30 days time for listing and now 7 days deadline was given on 12th August 2082 .
 
What progress has been made so far in cataloging social networks?
Tiktok, Viber, Witak, Nimbuj and Pop-up have been listed as requested by the government. Telegram and Global View have also submitted applications to the ministry for listing. The Ministry of Communication held a virtual meeting with the representatives of META last May . Communication Secretary Radhika Aryal had a conversation with Meta's Public Policy Manager and Liaison Officer for Asia Pacific Rujan Sarwar. Since then META has not given any official/informal response to any government . Platforms like X, Alphabet (Google), LinkedIn have not come into contact. 
If the government doesn't do what it says, will social networks be closed forever?

Officials of the Ministry of Communication say that the government will look at the way until tomorrow and if the platforms are not listed, then they will discuss it in the cabinet meeting and proceed. Earlier, the government, which has become flexible by giving exemptions to the defaulters, is now in a binding situation due to the order of the Supreme Court. "Since the Supreme Court has issued an order in the name of the government to allow it to operate only after registration," says an expert in the field of information technology, "allowing unregistered platforms to operate is contempt of court, if they are closed suddenly, there will be public outrage."
The

full bench of nine judges, including Chief Justice Vishwambhar Prasad Shrestha, issued such an order by publishing the full text of the verdict in the contempt of court case against 'Sidhakura.com' on August 2. The court has held that such a legal arrangement is necessary to make the growing influence of digital media and social networks responsible and accountable. Also, on the same day as the government's decision to ban unregistered social networks in Nepal expired, today the Supreme Court has issued an order banning foreign broadcasters including OTT apps without permission. The joint bench of Justice Tek Prasad Dhungana and Shanti Singh Thapa has instructed the government to comply with the requirement that foreign broadcasters broadcasting within Nepal must obtain permission. According to the government, which social networks have been listed in Nepal? What are registrants doing  ?

Till now Tiktok, Viber, Vitak, Nimbuz and Pop-up have been listed in Nepal. All have designated contact person, grievance hearing officer . They have not opened a liaison office in Nepal. The government has not emphasized that it is not practical for big tech companies to open offices in every country. Among those listed, Tiktok has been actively collaborating with the government and the private sector for various programs along with tourism promotion, digital literacy campaign in Nepal. 
Importantly, listed platforms are accessible to governments, regulators, media and users. Listening to local concerns, becoming accountable, and facilitating the reduction of distortions through social media. Platforms not being listed are not being accountable at the local level . Disobeying even the request of the government, and not coordinating with the police and the administration, the investigation of cyber crime cases is complicated.     Some people have complained that platforms registered with

have hindered the freedom of expression by removing the content that the government asked to be removed in content filtering. There are complaints of content creators disappearing, political comments on TikTok, criticized videos being automatically deleted. The representative of Tik Tok said not to have such doubts. "Even if a content does not violate our community guidelines and is considered illegal according to local laws, we can ban such content within Nepal," said a Tiktok representative in a conversation with Kantipur. Yes ? Is there a similar practice in other countries ? 

The government wants to regulate the use of social media . For this, the government is asking for the platforms to be listed in accordance with the provisions of the directive by issuing a directive to manage the use of social media in November 2080. According to the guidelines, the social media platforms have been asked to arrange contact points and complaint hearing officers within Nepal. The government expects users to be able to use social media freely and platform operators to operate their platforms in accordance with procedures.

in many countries of the world  There are laws or guidelines that regulate social media. In India, the 'Information Technology (Moderation Guidelines and Digital Media Code of Conduct) Rules, 2021' have been implemented. It mandates social media companies to designate a Grievance Officer, Chief Compliance Officer and Nodal Contact Person. The 'Digital Services Act' has been implemented in the European Commission. Australia has the 'Online Safety Act, 2021'. It has made digital platforms accountable for controlling online abuse, cyberbullying and illegal content. In Nepal, a bill to regulate social media is pending in the parliament.
Why are big social media platforms not wanting to register in Nepal?

None of the social media platforms have released an official opinion about this . However, with the release of social media guidelines in November 2080, the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), a representative organization of social media platforms, expressed concern about it and said it was unreasonable and against international standards. In a letter addressed to the then Minister of Communications Rekha Sharma, then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Secretary of Communications Krishna Bahadur Raut and the then Chairman of Nepal Telecommunication Authority Purushottam Khanal, it was mentioned that the listing arrangement would discourage foreign direct investment.

"Then and now things are different," said an official of the Ministry of Communication, "The Nepali government is insensitive to freedom of expression, they complain that the government is focusing on content regulation." However, that is not the aim of the government, we are trying to explain, they do not come in contact. They don't even say we got your information. Shouldn't we be accountable to our government after serving our country?' Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) has not responded to Nepal since it sent three letters in 2024 about social media guidelines and the bill.
Someone is saying, social media is paying tax, why should it be listed? Although

platforms are not listed in the Ministry of Communications, 20 large technology companies are registered in Nepal's tax system. They have been paying taxes regularly for the last 2 years . So far, the government has collected revenue of Rs 90 crore from these companies. Although social media platforms have paid taxes, the government's main emphasis is on compliance with the country's laws and sovereignty. As these platforms are not listed, the government has a problem in regulating and managing them. According to Communications Minister Prithvisubba Gurung, the government has not been able to 'moderate' or 'filter' harmful content such as 'hate speech', 'fake news', 'deepfake' and 'cyberbullying' posted on social media because they are not listed. Due to this, the incidents of various cyber crimes have increased and social and religious harmony has also been disrupted, Gurung says.  Other news related to

 
The government's call to list social networks within a week