Kathmandu: The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has initiated a process to deactivate all social media platforms that are not registered with the ministry. This move follows a directive to the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA), the regulatory body for telecommunications and internet service providers, to ensure compliance with the new regulation.
According to National News Agency Nepal, a ministerial-level meeting decided to immediately deactivate unregistered social media platforms. This decision aligns with the order from the Supreme Court and the Council of Ministers’ decision from August 25. Communications Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung explained that the government was compelled to take this step as the platforms have not complied with repeated notifications to register in Nepal.
Minister Gurung emphasized that the intention is not to permanently shut down these platforms. “Our aim is not to shut them forever and they will be resumed as soon as they get in touch. Those ones that are already registered and the ones in the process of registration have not been closed,” he stated.
Ministry spokesperson Gajendra Kumar Thakur provided additional details, noting that platforms like TikTok, Viber, Wetalk, Nimbuzz, and Poppo Live are registered, while Telegram and Global Diary are in the registration process. The ministry’s study revealed that there are currently more than 25 social media platforms actively used in Nepal, though it remains uncertain how many will face deactivation following the latest decision.