A social media bill in Nepal‘s parliament proposing imprisonment and fines in several provisions would “severely undermine” press freedom, activists warned on Feb. 24.
Under the proposed law, social media posts deemed against national sovereignty or interest could be punished with jail or a fine of 500,000 Nepali rupees (around $3,600) — and give the government power to block platforms like Facebook and X.
The bill, which is yet to be debated, has already sparked criticism from opposition parties and social media users, who claim a raft of proposed changes attempt to impose censorship and curtail basic human rights.
“In its current form, the Social Media Bill threatens to severely undermine press freedom and digital expression,” the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said in a statement.
“This bill must be withdrawn or subject to significant amendments limiting its potential to be weaponized against the media.”
The bill also authorizes the government to instruct licensed social network sites to remove posts. Failure to do so could lead to a fine of up to 1.5 million Nepali rupees.
It also prohibits creating and using anonymous or fake identities and would ban sextortion — coercing people into sending explicit images online — posting “gruesome” visuals, and disseminating misleading information or deepfake videos.
Taranath Dahal, an expert on freedom of expression and information, said the bill was “wide in its scope, vague and confusing.”
“There is a threat of its political misuse against government detractors or anything the government dislikes,” he said.
Dahal added that “despite a progressive and democratic constitution, there has been a trend of laws that aim to limit freedom of expression in Nepal.”
But Nepal’s communication minister said the bill was only aimed at “regulating” social media platforms.
“This bill has no intention of curtailing freedom of expression,” Prithvi Subba Gurung said as he introduced the bill in the parliament earlier in February.
Nepal’s National Assembly also passed earlier this month the Media Council bill, which includes a provision for the government to appoint the head of the media regulatory body. It is yet to be approved by the lower house.
With a population of about 30 million, Nepal has millions of users on social networking sites like Facebook, TikTok, and X.
The country had banned TikTok in 2023 for disturbing “social harmony,” eventually overturning the decision in August last year.
source : uca news