Nepal Blocks Major Social Media Platforms Over New Registration Law
Nepal Blocks Major Social Media Platforms Over New Registration Law The Government of Nepal has blocked access to several widely used social platforms — including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, Reddit and WeChat — after those services failed to register under a new directive requiring platforms to provide a local contact, grievance handler and a self-regulation officer. Platforms that registered, such as TikTok and Viber, were exempted and remain accessible. What happened A government directive required social platforms to register and appoint local compliance officers to operate in Nepal. Authorities warned unregistered platforms would be deactivated after a deadline; several major services did not complete the registration and were blocked. The government framed the move as an effort to curb online hate, rumors and cybercrime; opponents call it censorship…