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Nepal Bans 26 Social Media Platforms, Including Signal
(sh.itjust.works)
The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of Nepal has issued an order requiring all social media platforms to be registered in Nepal.
Based on this, the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has instructed all network service providers to deactivate 26 platforms, including Signal, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and others.
To lift the ban and operate legally in Nepal, each platform must:
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Register with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.
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Appoint in Nepal:
- A Point of Contact
- A Resident Grievance Handling Officer
- An Officer responsible for monitoring compliance with self-regulation [1]
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Submit an application in the prescribed format along with required documents, as per the Directives on Managing the Use of Social Media Networks (2080 B.S.). [2]
Reference:
[2] Directives for Managing the Use of Social Networks, 2023
I had a quick look at Hamro Patro. It's a Nepali calendar app which features news, horoscopes, exchange rates, radio and podcasts. It is the most popular natively developed app in Nepal basically.
Just to put this into context: Imagine if the American Government banned the NBC app or the British Government banned the Sky News app.