Government of Nepal to Ban Unregistered Social Media Platforms
Kathmandu, Aug 25. The Government of Nepal has decided to ban all unregistered social media platforms effective immediately, according to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. So far, five platforms—TikTok, Viber, Nimbuzz, WeTalk, and PopoLive—have completed the registration process, while Telegram and Global Link are currently in the process of registration.
Popular platforms including Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Reddit, Discord, Pinterest, Signal, Threads, WeChat, Quora, Tumblr, Clubhouse, Mastodon, Rumble, MeWe, VK, Line, IMO, Zalo, Soul, and Hamro Patro will be blocked nationwide for failing to register.
The decision was made during a meeting chaired by Minister for Communication Prithvi Subba Gurung on Thursday, in line with a Supreme Court directive requiring mandatory registration of all social networking sites.
Earlier, the Council of Ministers had instructed all social media platforms operating in Nepal to register within a week, with the deadline expiring last night. Following the non-compliance, the ministry issued a ministerial-level decision to begin systematically blocking unregistered platforms.
The ministry has clarified that platforms completing the registration process will be allowed to resume operations in Nepal.
