The international media is looking at the Nepal government's ban on social media as a restriction on freedom of expression.
What you should know
The government has moved to deactivate social media platforms including Facebook as the listing has not been done. Citing the decision of the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, the Telecommunication Authority has written to internet service providers on Thursday to deactivate 26 platforms.
Nepal Telecom has already said that social media platforms that are not listed have been closed. Ncell has also issued a notice and informed that such platforms will not operate. Likewise, various internet service providers have also issued notices saying that the social networks announced by the government will not work from now on.
Recently, the governments of various countries around the world have been tightening social networks. Some have even banned social media citing the flood of misinformation on social media. Nepal has published news with priority in international media while banning social media.
Major international media including Al-Jazeera, AP News, Reuters, DW, TechCrunch have covered news about the social media ban . Most of the media have seen this step of the government as a restriction on freedom of expression .
International news agency AP News has written news saying that there is an attempt to limit the freedom of expression in Nepal. Citing Bholanath Dhungana, president of Digital Rights Nepal, it is mentioned in the news that this decision of the government is against the freedom of expression. The news also mentions that
social media platforms have decided to shut down due to non-registration. It is mentioned in the news that Tiktok, Viber and other three social media platforms will be operating as they are registered with the government.
International news agency Reuters quoted Manish Jha, spokesman of the National Independent Part of , as saying that social media should be legally monitored but not closed. Citing the statement of Communications Minister Prithvisubba Gurung, it is mentioned in the news that social media companies have been closed because they are not registered.
Similar technology-related media TechCrunch that social media companies are unregistered The news of closure has been written . The government's decision has added to concerns about censorship and freedom of expression, it is mentioned in the news. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a news release that this decision would seriously hamper the work of journalists and the public's access to news and information. Al-Jazeera has written an interview stating that the government has taken this step as an effort to control rumors and cybercrime spread through
online. Quoting Ministry Spokesman Gajendra Kumar Thakur, Al-Jazeera wrote, 'Unregistered social media platforms will be closed from today.' Similarly, quoting Digital Rights Nepal President Bholanath Dhungana, it also wrote that this step is wrong. It is written in the news that this step of the government has attacked the fundamental rights of the people and that legal infrastructure is necessary for regulation.
DW along with Indian media have also written news about this . Other Indian media including The Hindu, NDTV World, India Today and Times of India have written news about the ban on social media.
Overall, the international media viewed this move by the Nepalese government as part of a trend to regulate social media globally, but expressed concern about the impact it could have on freedom of expression and public access to information.
