Jan 09, Kathmandu - The Election Commission of Nepal has initiated communication with social media platform operators to prevent the spread of false information. According to Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, Deputy Secretary and Spokesperson of the Election Commission, discussions have already taken place with representatives of Meta (Facebook) and TikTok.

"We have contacted representatives from Meta and TikTok. There has been dialogue with social media platform operators. Letters have been sent to Meta, TikTok, and X (Twitter)," Bhattarai stated. "They have reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate, as they have in the past."

The Commission aims to promote positive use of social media while strictly monitoring and controlling negative activities. Additionally, the Information Ethics Promotion Unit under the Information Dissemination and Coordination Center at the Commission has begun working to enhance responsible information sharing. Social media monitoring software has also been deployed for this purpose.

The policy includes utilizing social media to educate voters, disseminate election-related information, updates, and activities during the upcoming general elections. However, the Commission will monitor and address activities such as false information, hate speech, defamation, misinterpretation, deepfake content, fake sites or accounts, and other unlawful acts circulated via social media.

The Commission plans to work in collaboration with regulatory bodies to take legal action against such violations and ensure a fair and transparent electoral process.