Sep 07, Kathmandu - Government urges people not to use VPNs.

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology issued a press release today urging people not to use VPNs. The press release issued by the Ministry's spokesperson, Gajendra Kumar Thakur, said, "As the Nepal Government has decided to deactivate unlisted social media platforms within Nepal, the Nepal Telecommunications Authority has banned access to those social media platforms through mobile and internet service providers. Therefore, it is requested not to use unsafe, unauthorized, and risky VPNs to access such networks."

The government has called for all social media platforms operating in Nepal that have not yet been listed to be listed by designating a contact point, a resident complaint hearing officer, and an officer to monitor self-regulation compliance within Nepal as per the Guidelines for Regulating the Use of Social Media, 2080. Similarly, the statement also states that there will be no fee for listing and that they will be reactivated from the moment they are listed. The government has also appealed to the general public to implement the decision to deactivate social media.

Similarly, the ministry has stated that Hamro Patro and Global Diary have registered their listings and are operating in Nepal after registration. According to spokesperson Thakur, the American company X and the Chinese company WeChat have sent the necessary details after requesting documents for the listing.