Nepal puts a digital lock on Big Tech
It seems that the Nepal government has decided it has had enough of algorithms, memes and viral discussions. This Thursday, in a move that has left half the country wondering how the hell they are going to upload their selfies with Everest in the background, authorities announced the immediate blocking of most social media platforms. The official reason: the companies behind these apps did not comply with controversial new regulations that require formal registration with the government. Basically, they sent them a friend request and they hit ‘ignore’.
The Minister of Communication and Information, Prithvi Subba Gurung, came out to explain the move – probably from an account on a network that is allowed. He claimed that around two dozen widely used platforms in the country, including giants Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, received notices again and again. They were told: “either you show up and register your companies here, or we will cut off your Wi-Fi.” Guess what happened? Spoiler: they didn’t register.
Who was saved from the digital blackout?
In this digital regulation reality show, not all participants were eliminated. TikTok and Viber, along with three other minor platforms, obtained the golden pass. The reason? Yes they registered. I mean, they did their homework. This leaves Nepalese citizens in a rather peculiar dystopian scenario: they can do viral dances on TikTok but they cannot tweet their outrage about it. Coherence is conspicuous by its absence.
The government is not messing around. Their main requirement is that these companies designate a physical office or a liaison point within the country. To support this measure, they have already presented a bill in parliament which, according to them, seeks to ensure that the platforms are “properly managed, responsible and accountable.” Sounds good, right? Like that “it’s for your safety” thing that your parents told you when they took away your cell phone. We all know how that ends.
The controversy did not wait
And this is where the plot gets good. The bill, which is still following the tortuous parliamentary path, has been ferociously criticized by digital rights defenders, political opponents and basically everyone who smells of censorship. Critics argue that this law is basically a toolkit to silence dissent and punish those who dare to express protests online. Come on, they see it as the wet dream of a government eager to control the narrative.
Human rights groups have not hesitated to describe the maneuver as a flagrant attempt to restrict freedom of expression and violate fundamental rights. For their part, the Nepalese authorities defend themselves by arguing that it was necessary to enact laws to monitor social networks. They allege that they seek to ensure that both users and operators are responsible for what they publish and share. In other words, they want to prevent Nepal from becoming the digital Wild West. The problem, as always, is who watches the watchers.
This clash between state sovereignty and the borderless world of the tech giants is our daily bread in the digital age. Nepal is not the first country to try to tame social media, and it definitely won’t be the last. But blocking access to platforms that are, for many, the main window to the world and a tool for work and communication, is an extreme measure that smacks of repression disguised as bureaucracy.
Meanwhile, in Nepal, citizens are managing to bypass the blockade with VPNs, because at the end of the day, human ingenuity always wins over state censorship. The question that remains hanging in the air, heavier than the Internet connection with VPN, is: is this really about responsibility and accountability, or is it simply damage control for a political elite uncomfortable with public scrutiny?
Can you imagine if your government did the same? Share this note on your networks (while you still can) and explore more content on digital rights and technology on our site. The conversation about the future of the internet is just beginning.
