Nepal’s Supreme Court Orders Social Media Platforms to Register

Nepal’s Supreme Court Orders Social Media Platforms to Register
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Nepal’s Supreme Court has ordered all social media platforms and online sites to register with the government, Anadolu Agency reported. The ruling, reported by local media on Sunday, aims to make these platforms “responsible and accountable” and to discourage the use of false or fictitious identities.

The full bench of the court stated that both domestic and foreign online and social media platforms must be mandatorily registered with a “competent authority” before operation. The court also directed the government to establish mechanisms to monitor “undesirable content.”

The decision comes amid ongoing resistance from social media platforms, including Facebook, which have not complied with the Nepal government’s repeated requests to register with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. The court cited the potential for a circulation of content that could harm citizens’ right to accurate information, obstruct judicial proceedings, and negatively affect public trust and the credibility of the courts.