Nepal Blocks Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, X Over Rule Breach, Amid Censorship Concerns

Nepal has ordered net work providers to artifact entree to awesome societal media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X, aft nan companies grounded to comply pinch section registration rules — drafting disapproval from media authorities groups and raising concerns complete censorship and free expression.

On Thursday, Nepal’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology directed nan Nepal Telecommunications Authority to instruct net work providers to restrict entree to 26 societal media platforms altogether. The move followed a gathering of ministry officials earlier successful nan day.

Nepal has an internet penetration complaint of complete 90%, according to information from nan Nepal Telecommunications Authority. Among societal media users successful nan country, 87% usage Facebook, followed by 6% connected X and 5% connected YouTube, nan latest figures from web analytics patient Statcounter suggest.

The database of affected platforms includes Discord, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WeChat, Reddit, Snapchat, YouTube, and X. The determination follows an August 25 directive that gave overseas societal media companies conscionable 7 days to registry their operations successful Nepal and delegate a section interaction person.

Media defense groups and civilian nine organizations person criticized nan move. The determination would “seriously inhibit journalists’ activity and people’s entree to news and information,” said nan Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based nonprofit. The Federation of Nepali Journalists besides condemned nan measure, saying it “undermines property state and citizens’ correct to information.”

Thursday’s determination comes weeks aft Nepal’s Supreme Court upheld nan government’s section registration request past month, ruling that it was aimed astatine curbing misinformation. However, nan tribunal did not explicitly bid nan authorities to prohibition platforms that grounded to register, alternatively directing officials to “make due ineligible arrangements immediately, wrong nan model of nan law.”

Notably, TikTok and Russia’s Viber are among nan societal media apps not affected by nan latest order; nan authorities said these platforms person already followed nan rules and registered themselves successful nan country.

“It is highly troubling that Nepal has chosen to artifact entree to full societal media and web services simply because they person not registered pinch nan government,” said Raman Jit Singh Chima, Asia Pacific Policy Director and Global Cybersecurity Lead astatine Access Now. He compared nan attack to “the architecture of censorship seen successful nan People’s Republic of China’s Great Firewall exemplary of integer authoritarianism — a way wholly astatine likelihood pinch Nepal’s antiauthoritarian aspirations and law guarantees.”

Communications and Information Technology Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung told reporters that nan authorities had fixed platforms ample clip to registry successful Nepal and had made repeated requests, including to Meta, but they did not comply.

Meta, arsenic good arsenic Google and Snap, did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

Access to nan platforms would beryllium restored erstwhile they registry successful nan country, according to a public notice (PDF) issued by nan Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.

Chima based on that “Nepal should people each blocking orders, reconstruct access, and displacement to a legislative process that narrows vague prohibitions and builds successful owed process, transparency and meaningful consultation.”

He added that without clear entreaty aliases independent oversight, nan directive gives nan authorities “sweeping powers to suspend services, bid removals, and deputise section ‘grievance’ and ‘self-regulation’ officers wrong companies.”

“That invites over-blocking and unit connected companies to return down lawful content,” he continued.

Earlier this year, Nepal’s authorities faced nationalist backlash complete a projected societal media measure that is still pending approval. The authorities includes provisions for imprisonment and fines for posts “deemed against nationalist sovereignty aliases interest.” The connection “threatens to severely undermine property state and integer expression,” nan International Federation of Journalists said.

Responding to early disapproval of nan projected legislation, Minister Gurung said nan authorities had “no volition of curtailing state of expression.”

However, nan measure would besides authorize nan authorities to bid societal media platforms to region definite posts, pinch noncompliance perchance resulting successful fines.

A spokesperson for Nepal’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology did not respond to a petition for remark astir blocking decision.