The Nepali government began blocking citizen access to more than two dozen social media sites, including Facebook, X, YouTube, and others, on Friday, causing an outcry among anti-censorship advocates.
The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) on Thursday released a list of 26 social media platforms that will no longer be accessible to the South Asian nation's 29.6 million citizens.
Officials there say the ban follows an August 25th Cabinet directive, which required all social media platforms to have registered with the government by Wednesday, reports The Kathmandu Post, the country’s leading English-language daily.
Beginning Friday night, the social media platforms that missed the September 3rd deadline to register will now be shut down, according to the directive.
“We have decided to gradually close all unregistered platforms in Nepal starting today,” announced Nepal’s Minister of Communication and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung.
⚠️ Ministry of Information, Communication, and Technology of Nepal directed ban on all online platforms that failed to register under Directives for Managing the Use of Social Networks, which came into effect today, on September 5, 2025. pic.twitter.com/hoc1CRIVdo
undefined Body & Data (@bodyanddata) September 5, 2025
The decision is said to be based on a 2023 ruling that “any entity seeking to operate a social media service in Nepal must formally register with the ministry and submit supporting documentation.”
About two dozen social media sites are slated for removal, including Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, X, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Reddit, Discord, Pinterest, Signal, Threads, WeChat, Quora, Tumblr, Clubhouse, Mastodon, Rumble, VK, Line, IMO, Zalo, Soul, and Hamro Patro.
The announcement has many freedom rights and censorship opposition groups up in arms, as well as small businesses that rely on internet traffic for marketing and product sales.
Social media use, primarily from Facebook and YouTube, constitutes roughly 80% of the country’s internet traffic, The Post said.
“This is a harsh move. Shutting down social media will impact social, economic, cultural, and constitutional rights,” said Santosh Sigdel, executive director of Digital Rights Nepal.
In response to the outcry, Nepali officials say the government has made repeated requests for compliance.
“We tried to hold discussions through diplomatic channels, but the companies refused,” the Information Minister said.
Meantime, officials confirmed to The Post that representatives from Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads, and Messenger, have since reached out to the Ministry of Communications, stating it will work to comply with the directive.
Several platforms, such as TikTok and Viper, which have previously registered with the government, will not be shut down. Telegram had been shut down by the Nepali government in July 2024 over charges of promoting fraud and money laundering.
Viper and the Google Play Store have since been inundated with users in the wake of the announcement, the media outlet said.
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