Protests Against Nepal’s Social Media Ban Show Resistance to a Global Censorship Trend

Asia Pacific|A Censorship Playbook Fails in Nepal, Sparking Unrest

When Nepal’s government blocked access to social media platforms last week, it was following a familiar playbook used by leaders of neighboring countries to tighten control.

What was not part of the playbook was the huge backlash that followed.

In Nepal, the ban set off the worst unrest in decades, unleashing pent-up outrage over corruption and economic inequality. By Tuesday morning, the Nepali government had reversed course, reinstating access to all 26 of the platforms blocked last week, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and WeChat.

Nayana Prakash, a research fellow at the Chatham House research institute in London who studies the use of technology in South Asia, said that the suddenness of the ban in Nepal took people by surprise, whereas internet censorship is more common in India and Pakistan.

“This is quite new to Nepal,” Dr. Prakash said. While many countries have either banned TikTok or are discussing it, restricting access to platforms like LinkedIn and Reddit “goes quite a lot further,” severely curtailing people’s ability to find jobs or network outside of Nepal, she said. The government in Nepal also tried to impose a much broader ban than exists in India, she said.

Social media is a critical tool in Nepal, where people rely on the apps to receive money and stay in touch with family and friends abroad. Businesses also use platforms like WhatsApp to operate.

India, the second biggest internet user in the world after China, with a population of 1.4 billion, has a much easier time getting tech companies to comply with government restrictions because they do not want to risk losing access to such a big market, Dr. Prakash said.

In contrast, many social media companies did not comply with Nepal’s new registration requirements. “Nepal doesn’t have the same level of political or commercial clout to make these tech companies fall into line,” Dr. Prakash said. “Companies can’t really afford to get on the wrong side of India, and India is well aware of that.”

Jon Roozenbeek, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Cambridge who focuses on misinformation and authoritarianism, said that India and other countries have gained public support for restricting some internet access by framing it as a nationalistic policy. That did not happen in Nepal.

He added that Nepal lacks the leverage of large countries like India. “Google and Meta and others were like ‘OK, see ya. We don’t care enough about Nepal,’” Dr. Roozenbeek said.