Nepal moves to block Facebook, X, YouTube and others

Nepal plans to shut down major social media platforms like Facebook and X due to non-compliance with registration requirements. The government aims to combat online hate, rumors, and cybercrime. Companies had a deadline to register and provide local contacts.

"Unregistered social media platforms will be deactivated today onwards," said ministry spokesman Gajendra Kumar Thakur. Only five platforms, including TikTok, have registered so far. Critics argue that the sudden closure infringes on public rights. Bhola Nath Dhungana claimed, "This directly hits the fundamental rights of the public."

Nepal previously restricted access to the Telegram app and had lifted a TikTok ban last year.