Nepal's top court orders all social media, online sites must register

ANKARA

Nepal's top court has ordered all social media platforms and online sites to register with the government, despite opposition from many networks, local media reported on Sunday.

A full bench of the Supreme Court ruled on Saturday that digital media and social media networks should be "made responsible and held accountable," and that using social media under false or fictitious identities should be discouraged, according to the Kathmandu Post.

"Online and social media platforms of domestic or foreign origin should be mandatorily registered with the competent authority before operation, and mechanisms should be in place to evaluate and monitor undesirable content,” the court judgment read.

The decision came at a time when social media platforms, including Facebook, have been resisting the Nepal government's repeated requests to register with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

The court has directed the government to make legal arrangements to monitor them, citing that the circulation of news through these media can harm citizens' rights to accurate information, obstruct judicial proceedings, and negatively affect public trust and the credibility of courts.

*Writing by Aamir Latif