September 6, 2025
Nepal has blocked access to 26 major social media and communication platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), WhatsApp and LinkedIn, after the companies failed to register with the government within a seven-day deadline.
The move comes in response to a Supreme Court directive issued in a contempt case, which instructed authorities to ensure that all domestic and foreign-origin platforms formally register with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. The court also ordered the government to implement monitoring mechanisms to track unlawful or harmful content.
In a public notice, the Nepal Telecommunication Authority confirmed that platforms not complying with the registration order had been deactivated. However, it added that services would be restored immediately once companies completed the process.
The directive, issued under the Directive on Regulating the Use of Social Media, 2080, requires platforms to appoint a local compliance officer and establish user complaint handling systems.
Among the blocked services are Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, YouTube, X, Reddit, LinkedIn, Discord, Pinterest, Signal, Threads, WeChat and Snapchat. Platforms such as TikTok, Viber, Telegram and Nimbuzz remain operational after beginning the registration process.
Communications Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung stated that the decision followed repeated but ignored requests to register. He emphasized that the government’s goal is not censorship, but regulation, adding that the bans would be lifted once requirements were met.
However, rights groups, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Access Now, condemned the move as a serious threat to freedom of expression and press freedom. Civil society groups have also voiced concerns over a proposed social media bill in parliament, which could impose fines and prison terms for content deemed against the “national interest.”
