Kathmandu. Minister for Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung has said that social media, including Facebook, will be banned in Nepal.
Speaking at a program organized by the Sancharika Group in Kathmandu on Friday, he said this. He said that the operators of social media, including Facebook, operating in Nepal, have not registered even when the registration deadline was about to expire.
He said that if such social media are not registered within the specified time as per the constitution, acts and laws of Nepal, a ban can be imposed on such social media. He said that various propaganda is being spread on social media to undermine the country’s self-respect and said that it should be regulated. He said that fake IDs are being used to create distortions in society and promote violence on social media.
He said that the Media Council Bill brought by the government has been stalled because social media is not registered in Nepal.
He said, “We have said that we have brought a bill to regulate the use and operation of social media. I have already presented that bill in the National Assembly, but it has been stalled in the meantime. Everyone knows why it has been stalled. Today, the social media platform is being run by the people who operate it. Should those who operate it follow the constitution of this country or not? Like Meta, Google, TikTok…. Since they will be working in Nepal, will they follow the laws of Nepal or not? Should they follow the constitution of Nepal or not? Should they register here or not? ? If the kind of content they publish speaks about our national unity and independence and creates a big impact on society, what should we do with it? The biggest thing is the country. The independence, geographical integrity and unity of the country. Whatever communication is against independence through social media, the operator should be regulated. That does not mean taking away press freedom. Whoever writes whatever they want, they are creating fake IDs and writing arbitrarily. They are inciting social harmony. They are inciting our ethnic harmony. They are inciting religious tolerance. Earlier, we issued a three-month notice to come and register. Now, two or three days are left of the one-month notice and no one is coming. Why doesn’t Meta, who runs Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram, come and register? They don’t even bother the government, they don’t bother Nepal. It is their arrogance and arrogance to say that our GDP is more than your total GDP, our annual budget is many times more than yours. If they continue to boast like that, they will be banned, I have said. No, if they say that we will move forward, they should come.”
He accused foreigners of trying to weaken Nepali people by misusing social media to disrupt Nepal’s religious tolerance. He said, “If there is an example of religious tolerance, it is in Nepal. This is where the attack has been made through social media. Through online media. We all accept that. People of more than 124 languages live here, there is so much diversity. The way we live together is about finding unity within diversity. We have cultural harmony, we have ethnic harmony. This is what is being tried to destroy ethnic harmony. They are trying to weaken Nepalis.”
Communications Minister Gurung said that the Media Council Bill brought by the government will be discussed with all journalist associations, including the Federation of Nepali Journalists, and then taken forward.
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