As part of a crackdown on misuse, Nepal announced on Thursday that it would limit access to a number of social media sites, including Facebook, after users failed to register with authorities.
In a country where 90% of the 30 million people use the internet, the government claims that those using phony identification are causing social unrest, committing cybercrime, and spreading hate and rumors on certain platforms.
Companies were given until Wednesday to register with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, designate a grievance handler, local contact, and self-regulation person, or risk closure.
The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) regulator was instructed to disable unregistered social media on Thursday, although the government notice did not specify which platforms would be affected.
