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2w ago

Nepal Blocks Facebook, YouTube, X and 23 Other Platforms After Registration Deadline Expires

The government is enforcing a court-backed rule that requires local registration with designated compliance contacts.

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Nepalese police officers with a sniffer dog walk outside the parliament building in Kathmandu on January 22, 2015. Opposition protests brought Nepal's parliament to a grinding halt today, with hopes fading fast of an eleventh-hour agreement on a new constitution before a midnight deadline expires. AFP PHOTO / PRAKASH MATHEMA (Photo credit should read PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP via Getty Images)
A woman uses her phone at Bashantapur Durbar Square after the government announced it will close all social media not registered with the government saying the move was aimed at managing and making the social media responsible, in Kathmandu, Nepal September 4, 2025. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar
The Government of Nepal on Thursday decided to block 26 social media platforms for operating without registration.

Overview

  • The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology ordered the Nepal Telecommunications Authority to deactivate 26 unregistered services, including Instagram, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Reddit.
  • TikTok, Viber, WeTalk, Nimbuzz and Poppo Live remain available after completing registration, and officials say access will be restored the day any other platform registers.
  • Internet service providers began implementing blocks on Sept. 4, with the ISPs association saying full shutdowns will take time and some users initially retaining intermittent access.
  • Officials cite curbing fake accounts, hate speech and cybercrime as the rationale, while journalists’ groups and digital-rights advocates condemn the move as overbroad censorship that harms access to information.
  • The action follows a Supreme Court directive upholding registration requirements issued under a 2023 policy, against the backdrop of high internet use in Nepal and a pending social media bill criticized by civil society.