Telegram responds to ban in Nepal | NTA directs Telcos, ISPs to implement

The government of Nepal has banned Telegram, instant messaging app, in Nepal. The decision comes after concluding that the app was used in money laundering, scams, and other such unlawful activities. And in the latest development, the company has expressed its surprise over the ban and said that it has started dialogue with the authority to find a solution.

At the time of writing this article, Telegram is working fine. But it should not open in the next few days as telcos and internet service providers (ISPs) begin disabling access to the app on their networks.

The National Coordination Committee on Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism, which is under the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, had initiated the process to block Telegram.

Telegram is one of the popular messaging apps in Nepal, with unique features like end-to-end encryption, large no of people in a group chat, bots & automation (AI integrations), large file sharing, video broadcast, and completely free without ads.

Now, Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has issued a statement officially declaring they it has decided to bar the access to the instant messaging app. Similarly, NTA has directed all telcos and ISPs to implement the ban accordingly.

• Social media rules in Nepal: List of what you can’t do?

NTA bans Telegram app in Nepal

NTA said that it has formally begun disabling Telegram. Earlier, the committee had written a letter to the Communication Ministry to act on the app. As a result, the authority has proceeded with formally blocking the all in Nepal.

Now, telcos and ISPs will work on disabling the telegram’s access on their network.

The communication Ministry spokesman, Gajendrakumar Thakur, had earlier confirmed the development. He said, “The letter (from the committee) has arrived, but rather than closing it now, it has been asked to investigate whether there has been any money laundering activity through it,” he said. “We will ask the Money Laundering Department, Nepal Police, and other agencies about that, and only then will we decide what to do.”

After a multilateral dialogue with stakeholders, NTA reached the conclusion that it should ban the app.

According to sources, in a recent meeting of the committee, Nepal Police Chief IGP (Inspector General of Police) Deepak Thapa briefed the committee about the increase in criminal activities, including fraud and money laundering via Telegram.

Telegram responds to the ban

Telegram has responded to the ban. The company expressed surprise over the development. It argued that it didn’t receive any official ‘communication’ from Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) regarding fraud or money laundering issues.

In a statement, Telegram said, “Telegram is surprised by these statements. We have consistently responded to Nepal’s legal requests. Telegram actively moderates harmful content on its platform and removes fraud and money laundering whenever discovered, but has not receive any communications from Nepal regarding issues of fraud or money laundering. We have contacted the office of the NTA (Nepal Telecommunications Authority) to resolve this issue.”

Also: Most popular apps in Nepal

Telegram faces major scrutiny

This is not an isolated occasion for Telegram to face such a scrutiny. A few months ago, Telegram faced a big notoriety after being drawn in a case in which F1Soft’s system was hacked to steal Rs 30.5 million from Citizens Bank. The very issue was a major topic at the committee discussion, Onlinekhabar reports. The current scenario is merely the result in the development.

In August 2024, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov himself was arrested in France on accusations of involvement in illegal transactions, drug trafficking, fraud, and other illicit activities. He was later released on bail.

The app is hugely popular among the youth who use it for business and video-sharing among family and friends. It’s also popular for news sharing. However, it has caught the eye of the law-enforcement authorities for possible use by users in abuse, scams, drug smuggling, etc.

An official from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) reportedly said that Telegram’s failure to register in Nepal and is possible use in scams meant that it could have already been banned during the infamous F1Soft hacking.

Broader picture

In recent years, the idea to regulate social media has grown intensely in Nepal. The government has cited intolerance, anti-social content, and other such material as rationale to bar them from public access.

TikTok was banned in Nepal on November 13, 2023, on these very grounds and was restored 9 months later after the latter’s commitment.

Now, Telegram has become the latest app to face the ban.

But just like TikTok, if it registers and makes commitment for positive causes in Nepal, the government could reverse the ban too. And as the company has reached out to NTA to find a solution, we can’t rule out a positive development in the app’s favor too.

We will continue to update this article with the latest development. Keep reading nepalitelecom.com for the latest tech, gadget, and other news relating to technology.