Resolve Meta Registration Impasse

The Government of Nepal has requested social media operators such as Meta, time and again to get registered in Nepal to operate their platforms. But they have not paid any attention to such requests. The government issued a notice to the social media operators concerned on March 21, 2025, requesting them to get registered by April 20, 2025. During the period, no applications from Meta and other social media operators came forward for registration. The notice was renewed for one more week. As they refused to register their media by the deadline, the government is in a quandary as to what to do. 

Meta Platforms, Inc. is one of the prominent multinational technology companies in the world. It is headquartered in California, the USA. Meta owns and runs several platforms such as Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram and Threads. It also operates an advertising network for its sites and third parties. Meta Platforms, Inc. was originally The Facebook, Inc. when it came into existence in 2004. In 2021, it was rebranded as Meta to reflect the Metaverse. Metaverse projects are resorted to by developers and users for virtual-world experiences. In Nepal, only a few companies have been registered: TikTok, Viber and WeChat. It may be noted that Tiktok got registered after its shutdown by the government. 

Spread of misinformation 

Owing to non-registration, the government has not been able to act on user grievances related to Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads. And the government has not also been able to crack down on the propagation of misinformation or disinformation and on curbing illegal or inappropriate content. According to the government, the operation of social media platforms has caused revenue loss and the spread of misinformation due to a lack of a regulation mechanism. In this regard, it would be pertinent to mention that the government issued the Directive Relating to the Regulation for the Usage of Social Media, 2023, in November 2023. 

The directive has provisions for registration of social media operators, establishment of a contact point and appointment of a grievance officer and an oversight officer for the orderly operation and monitoring of social media platforms running in Nepal. Additionally, the directive encapsulates a provision for assisting on the part of the social media operators in criminal investigations, removing illegal or inappropriate content and ensuring compliance with the Nepali law. 

The Asian Internet Coalition (AIC), an industry group representing such social media platforms as Meta, Google, Yahoo, Apple, Amazon, Rakuten and Spotify, has expressed dissatisfaction with the directive. It has been claimed that the directive is unviable and lacks conformity with international norms. It also argues that requiring the companies operating in Nepal to delete content within 24 hours is not acceptable and could stifle the freedom of expression. The AIC has requested the government to hold negotiations but to no avail. 

However, the government has been continuously issuing notices after notice for registration, giving ultimatums and threatening restrictions on the operation of the social media operators. The House is currently reviewing a draft bill on the operation of social media operators. The bill aims to legally enforce the Directive Relating to the Regulation for the Usage of Social Media. It has proposed penalties, including restrictions, for non-compliance with the directive. As proposed in the bill, only approved, i.e., registered, social media platforms may operate in Nepal. 

The government levies a two per cent digital service tax (DST) on the annual revenue of non-resident technology companies doing business in Nepal. According to the government, a DST of Rs. 410 million was collected from such companies as Microsoft, Google, Meta, Adobe, Netflix, Amazon and Apple in the fiscal year 2023/24. What would happen if Meta and other social media platforms were shut down? Social media has been part of our lives. It seems we cannot live without social media. If such social media were shut down, we would not be able to access social media platforms. And business companies relying on such platforms for advertising, marketing and customer services would be greatly impacted. 

We would be deprived of social networking and communication. What is more, user data stored on these platforms would be lost. A sudden shutdown of these platforms is therefore beyond our wildest dreams. Taking such a scenario into consideration, the government is not shutting down all the social media operators failing to get registered. The government is preparing to gradually deactivate such errant social media operators. When they get registered, they will be reactivated. 

Negotiations

It would not be prudent to shut down Meta and other social platforms. The AIC is ready to hold negotiations with the government to sort out thorny issues such as removing content within 24 hours. Instead of issuing notices or ultimatums repeatedly, the government should hold negotiations with the AIC. According to the government, Meta and other social media operators have evinced no interest in registering in Nepal. They should be convinced to get registered. It is not easy to shut down social media platforms. It would invite dire consequences and economic loss. For example, Meta is one of the major contributors to global advertising and the technological domain.    

If Meta can be convinced to get registered, other social media operators such as X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Google and LinkedIn are also expected to follow suit. Also, restrictions on Meta and other social media platforms would discommode not only ordinary users but also businesses. Online businesses cannot operate without apps. A shutdown of social media platforms will impact virtually every sector. Further, we may be forced to seek alternative platforms as it would be well-nigh impossible to live sans social media. So it behooves the government to sort out the registration imbroglio as soon as possible.      

(Maharjan has been regularly writing on contemporary issues for this daily since 2000.)