Government in Kathmandu says companies failed to register under its new regulations, which have sparked a free speech outcry
Nepal has imposed a ban on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and more than a dozen other big social media sites after accusing them of failing to comply with regulations.
The ban, which came into effect on Thursday midnight, drew criticism from human rights and press freedom groups, with Nepal’s government, led by prime minister KP Sharma Oli, accused of impeding freedom of speech and causing harm to businesses.
The Oli government said it had banned the 26 social media sites and messaging apps – also including X, Reddit, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Signal – after they all failed to register with the government under Nepal’s new laws regulating social media.
The ministry of communications and information technology said it had given the companies seven days to register following a court order, but all had failed to meet the deadline. A notice from the ministry said that subsequently an order had been issued to “deactivate” the platforms.
