Social Media Bill presented in NA

KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 9: The Social Council Bill, 2081 BS has been presented in the National Assembly (NA). Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, tabled the Bill during the session.

Before the presentation, NA Chairperson Narayan Prasad Dahal informed the House that no protest notice had been received regarding the Bill.

On January 28, the government registered the Bill in the NA, stating its purpose is to better regulate the use of social media platforms, ensuring they are safe and appropriate.

While tabling the Bill, the Minister explained that its primary goal is to hold operators and users of social media platforms accountable while promoting social goodwill, cultural tolerance, and good governance through responsible and systematic use of these platforms.

The Bill proposes licensing provisions (with a two-year validity) for companies, firms, or institutions wishing to operate digital platforms, with the option for license renewal. It also grants authorities the power to ban operations of platforms and remove content that violates the terms and conditions. Additionally, the Bill outlines conditions for social media users.

The Bill seeks to prohibit cyberbullying, stalking, identity hacking, extortion or sextortion, the spread of vulgar or misleading content, the uploading or dissemination of deepfake videos, and the use of anonymous or pseudonymous identities.

It emphasizes that social media operations should not compromise the country’s peace, security, sovereignty, territorial integrity, national unity, or independence, and should not feature content that harms national interests. Violations of these terms could lead to the revocation of the operating license.

The Bill also condemns content that could damage others' dignity, as well as trolling, hate speech, and the distortion of information.

Similarly, users engaging in actions like posting, liking, reposting, live streaming, subscribing, commenting, tagging, using hashtags, or mentioning others with malicious intent could face fines of up to Rs 500,000.

The government claims that if the Bill is passed and implemented as an Act, it will improve information security, protect personal data privacy, enhance cybersecurity, systematize IT-related enterprises, and boost foreign investment in the sector.