Government again urges social media platforms to undergo registration process

Kathmandu: The government has once again urged all social media platforms to register.

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology issued a press release today, urging everyone to join the process, stating that the government is committed to ensuring a well-organized and accountable digital environment while respecting the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution of Nepal.

A statement issued by Gajendra Thakur, Spokesperson and Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Communications, said, “All social media platforms operating in Nepal but not yet listed, as per the ‘Directive for Regulating the Use of Social Media, 2080’, once again urge all stakeholders to designate a contact point, a resident complaint hearing officer and an officer to monitor compliance with self-regulation within Nepal. It is hereby informed that there is no fee for listing and that they will be reactivated from the same moment after listing.”

Spokesperson Thakur has also requested that access to unlisted social networks within Nepal will be disabled as per the decision of the Government of Nepal, as access to those social networks has been prohibited through mobile and internet service providers by the Nepal Telecommunications Authority and that insecure, unauthorized, and risky ‘Virtual Private Network’ (VPN) should be avoided to access such networks.