FROM PAGE 1

create fake IDs and use them to spread hate speech and fake news, commit fraud and other crimes on these platforms.

A government notice directed the regulator, Nepal Telecommunications Authority, to deactivate unregistered social media but gave no details of which platforms faced action. The services will be restored once the platforms comply with its order, the government said.

Local media reported that the banned platforms include Meta’s Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, Alphabet’s YouTube, China’s Tencent and Snapchat, Pinterest and X.

Many people in Nepal think corruption is rampant, and the government of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has been criticised by opponents for failing to deliver on its promises to tackle graft or make progress in addressing longstanding economic issues.