- Nepal's government wants Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) to register in Nepal, but Meta refuses.
- Meta cited unwillingness to comply with Nepali laws and constitution as the reason for non-registration.
- Despite prior ultimatums and cooperation on issues like election misinformation, Meta remains unregistered.
The minister for Communication, Information and Technology (MoCIT), Prithvi Subba Gurung, has shared that Meta declined to follow the constitution of Nepal and register in Nepal. The government has been trying to get Meta to register in Nepal. But as the minister says, the American firm is hesitant to follow the Nepal government’s directive.
Communication Minister Gurung has been consistent with his insistence on Meta to register in Nepal. Earlier, he even gave an ultimatum to the company to register and warned to shut down the service. The ultimatum was later extended after no progress was made. However, the issue has come to the surface again.
Do note that Meta is the parent company of social networks such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
Also: Most popular apps in Nepal | Wallet to entertainment
Meta is reluctant to register in Nepal- Communication Minister Gurung
Minister Gurung has shared that Meta has said that it won’t follow Nepal’s constitution and laws on request to register.
Minister Gurung made this statement while responding to questions raised during the discussion on the “Social Network Bill, 2081” in the National Assembly. “We told them three times, at least come and register, appoint a contact person. But they did not agree,” Minister Gurung said, “This law is essential to regulate such organizations.”
And responding to accusations that the bill was to curb freedom of expression, Gurung stated otherwise. He said that the bill aims at curbing chaos, falsity, and crime spreading through social networking platforms.
Going forward, he remarked that hacking into others’ account credentials, leaking others’ private content, sexual abuse, etc., do not constitute freedom of expression.
Gurung also shared that the government is ready to make any amendments if any word, sentence, or section hints at undermining the right to express.
Check out: Social media rules in Nepal: List of what you can’t do?
Why Meta won’t register in Nepal though!
It has become an interesting development that Meta won’t want to register in Nepal. The TikTok’s Nepal ban forced the company to register. After the Telegram ban in Nepal, it’s also close to registration, but the US-based company is still reluctant. This gets more peculiar because the government has regularly cooperated with Meta during elections to work on curbing fake information.
Minister Gurung has been vocal and straightforward about Meta’s requirement to register in Nepal as well as other social network platforms. But it seems that it will be complicated and complex for the government to bring Meta aboard.
