KATHMANDU, Sept 30: The government has begun drafting a separate law to regulate social media and address growing cases of fraud, character assassination and misinformation on online platforms.
The government is also preparing policy measures, including age-based restrictions on social media use by children, by studying regulatory practices in other countries.
Responding to questions raised by lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Minister for Information and Communications Dr Bikram Timilsina said the government was preparing policy and legal reforms to better regulate social media and online platforms.
Dr Timilsina said the Mass Communications Bill and Press Council Bill had already been drafted to address the spread of false and misleading information through mass media and social media and would be presented to Parliament soon.
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“The bills contain provisions to curb the spread of false and misleading information through mass media,” he said. “In addition, the ministry is workingGovt preparing separate law to regulate social media, age restrictions for children on a separate legal framework to better regulate social media.”
The minister said a new bill had been introduced to strengthen Press Council Nepal by granting it additional powers. He said the council’s role in enforcing journalistic codes of conduct and promoting responsible journalism would become more effective once the law was enacted.
He also said the Ministry of Information and Communications, Ministry of Home Affairs, Nepal Police’s Cyber Bureau and Nepal Telecommunications Authority were coordinating efforts to control cybercrime and financial fraud.
Based on this coordination, more than 305,000 unique online betting sites and new betting apps had so far been identified and shut down through the Nepal Telecommunications Authority, according to data presented by the minister.
Timilsina said the government would take legal action against those who use fake social media accounts to defame individuals, spread false information or create confusion. He said the Cyber Bureau and Cyber Security Center were continuously investigating complaints and taking action in such cases.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to the right to privacy guaranteed under Article 28 of the Constitution, Timilsina warned that those who illegally record and publish videos or photographs in ways that harm an individual’s private life would face legal action in coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs and security agencies.
He also said the ministry was concerned about increasing social disorder, family breakdown and negative impacts on children linked to social media use.
The minister said the government would study age restrictions and regulatory standards adopted by various countries to protect children from social media-related risks and excessive use, and introduce necessary legal provisions in Nepal based on relevant practices.
