Nepal’s government has banned dozens of social media platforms after they failed to comply with new registration requirements, disrupting essential communication and raising concerns over free speech.
The 26 blocked platforms include messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and WeChat, as well as websites like YouTube and LinkedIn.
The ban, which went into effect on Thursday after a one-week ultimatum to the social media companies expired, has caused confusion across the country. It has ignited fears about how it could affect press freedom and the tourism industry, and particularly about how families can continue to communicate with relatives working abroad as migrant laborers. About 7.5 percent of Nepal’s 29 million population was living abroad in 2021, according to census figures cited by the Nepal Economic Forum, a research institute.
Officials at Nepal’s ministry of communication and information technology said the ban was enforced after the platforms refused to comply with a new law regulating social media, despite several formal requests.
The government now requires platforms to register for a license and to appoint a representative who can address grievances.
“We requested them to enlist with us five times. What to do when they don’t listen to us?” said Gajendra Kumar Thakur, a spokesman for the ministry.
People vented their ire on social media in the hours before the ban went into effect. Some cracked jokes by posting their postal addresses on social media, hinting that they were heading to “the age of letter exchange.”
Many users are switching to Viber and TikTok, the only major social media platforms that have complied with the registration. Two lesser known platforms — Hamro Patro and Global Diary — have also applied for the registration.
The move has raised fears that free speech could be restricted in Nepal, which has continued to enjoy a robust space for debate even as democratic freedoms have shrunk in many nearby countries.
Critics say that Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli had been trying to exert government control on speech for many years, but had been stopped by protests in recent years — including from within his own party. In November 2023, Nepal banned TikTok, saying the app affected “social harmony.” TikTok agreed to register with the government, and nine months later the ban was lifted.
Mr. Oli found help in a recent Supreme Court directive on registering media platforms to make them responsible and accountable if they were used to spread falsified content.
“Nepal’s sweeping ban on social media sets a dangerous precedent for press freedom,” Beh Lih Yi, the regional director for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement. “The government must immediately rescind this order and restore access to social media platforms, which are essential tools for exercising press freedom.”
Beyond the disruption in communication, the ban was also impacting the country’s important tourism industry, tour operators said.
“For us, social media used to be a very popular tool for communication. That’s now gone, and it’s a nightmare-like situation,” said Jiban Ghimire, managing director of Shangri-La Nepal Trek. “No communication, no business.”
Mujib Mashal contributed reporting from New Delhi.
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