Nepal Social Media Regulation: Civil Society Calls For Rights & Transparency

2nd May 2025, Kathmandu

Civil society urges Nepal’s government to ensure social media regulation is transparent, rights-friendly, and inclusive of public discourse.

Nepal Social Media Regulation

We, the undersigned civil society organizations committed to promoting freedom of expression, digital rights, and democratic good governance, express concern over the recent public statement by the Minister of Information and Communication Technology stating that social media platforms would be banned in Nepal if they do not register within a week.

While we acknowledge the need for an appropriate legal framework to ensure the accountability of digital platforms, we believe that shutting down any platform without a transparent process and clear legal criteria would be arbitrary and unconstitutional.

The currently implemented “Directive on Regulating the Use of Social Media, 2080” provisions the registration of platforms in Nepal, but there is a lack of a clear mechanism to ensure its implementation and accountability.

Moreover, at a time when the bill on social media is registered in the Parliament and is under discussion, the threat of an immediate ban seems to hurt freedom of opinion and expression, the right to information, and digital rights.

We respect the regulatory role of the state, but regulations must comply with the Constitution of Nepal and international human rights standards such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ratified by Nepal. In this context, we urge the government to:

• Refrain from disproportionate, impractical, and premature decisions such as blocking access to social media platforms that infringe citizens’ freedom of opinion and expression (the Constitution of Nepal, Article 17), right to information (Article 27), and digital rights.
• Ensure that digital regulatory processes are transparent, inclusive, and rights-friendly, including consultations and suggestions from civil society, experts, and stakeholders.
• Develop a human rights-based legal framework to ensure the accountability of social media platforms and the protection of fundamental freedoms.
• Adopt measures such as restrictions or bans as a last resort and only based on clear legal procedures and in compliance with international standards.

We believe that guaranteeing access to digital spaces, fostering public dialogue, and safeguarding fundamental rights are core responsibilities of the state.

We believe that social media platforms should be accountable to the state, democratic policies, rules, and human rights of citizens, as well as to address unlawful activities occurring due to the misuse of the platform.

Therefore, in the context of the government’s request for social media registration, we call on digital platforms to engage in meaningful dialogue with the Government of Nepal and collaborate with Nepal’s stakeholders to develop civil rights-friendly policies and regulations in line with democratic and international values.

We call on social media companies to operate responsibly in Nepal and adopt the necessary transparency.

We stress the need to develop a sustainable and rights-friendly digital governance framework based on collaboration between the government, parliament, civil society, and sector stakeholders. We firmly believe that adequate discourse, expert opinion, and public consultation are also necessary for the Social Media Bill currently being discussed in the Parliament.

Signed

1 Santosh Sigdel, Digital Rights Nepal, info@digitalrightsnepal.org

2 Anil Raghuvanshi, Childsafenet, anil.raghuvanshi@childsafenet.org

3 Jeevan Bhandari, Online TV Journalists Association Nepal, jvn.bhandari@gmail.com

4 Anand Raj Khanal, Nepal Digital Leads, arkhanalnta@gmail.com

5 Sanjiv Ghimire, Freedom Forum, sanjeeblaw@gmail.com

6 Bikram Shrestha, Nepal Internet Foundation, bikram@nif.org.np

7 Ujjwal Acharya, Center for Media Research – Nepal, ujjwal.acharya@gmail.com

8 Suresh Chand, Accountability Lab Nepal, suresh@accountabilitylab.org

9 Nirajan Thapaliya, Amnesty International Nepal, nirajan@amnestynepal.org

10 Prabesh Subedi, Digital Media Foundation, prabesh@dmf.org.np

11 Sanskriti Pandey, Yuwa, sanskritipandey@yuwanepal.org

12 Babita Basnet, Media Advocacy Group (MAG), babita.basnet@gmail.com

13 Neelam Sharma, Purple Foundation, foundationpurple@gmail.com

14 Bijayraj Gautam, Informal Sector Service (INSEC), insec@insec.org.np

15 Dharmaraj Rimal, Yuvalaya, yuwalaya.youth@gmail.com

16 Pooja Pant, Voices of Women Media (VAW), info@voicesofwomenmedia.org

17 Ashirwad Tripathi, Open Internet Nepal (Internet Society Nepal Chapter). ashirwadtripathy@gmail.com

18 Roop Sunar, Dignity Initiative, info@dignityinitiatives.org

19 Umesh Shrestha, MySansar, salokya@gmail.com

20 Kapil Aryal, Human Rights and Justice Center, k.aryal@hrjc.org.np

21 Rajan Parajuli, Antenna Foundation Nepal, rajan.parajuli@gmail.com

22 Bikash Basnet, Advocacy Forum- Nepal, bikashbasnet@advocacyforum.org

23 Madhav Pradhan, Civil Nepal, madhav.pradhan@gmail.com

24 Suraj Adhikari, Forum for Digital Equality (FDE), asuraj0301@gmail.com

25 Jaya Luitel, The Story Kitchen, jaya@thestorykitchen.org

26 Nhasala Joshi, Women Leaders in Technology (WLIT), nhasala.joshi@wlit.org.np

27 Dr. Rajib Subba, Information Security Response Team (npCERT), president@npcert.org

28 Binod Basnet, Educating Nepal, binod@educatingnepal.org

29 Dovan Rai, Body & Data, dovan@bodyanddata.org

30 Mina Aryal, National ICT Council, nationalictcouncil@gmail.com

31 Laxman Dutt Pant, Media Action Nepal, info@mediaactionnepal.org

For more: Nepal Social Media Regulation