Kathmandu, September 30: Minister for Information and Communications Dr. Bikram Timilsina has stated that the government is preparing policy and legal reforms to control fraud, character assassination, defamation, and the dissemination of false and misleading information via social media.
Responding to questions raised by lawmakers in the House of Representatives today, Minister Timilsina noted that the government would take necessary steps to curb the rising incidents of fraud and harassment on social media. He mentioned that preparations are underway to draft legislation—including the Mass Communication Bill and the Press Council Bill—to address the trend of broadcasting false and misleading information through social media and mass media outlets. He informed the House that these bills would be presented soon.
"Legal provisions have been incorporated into the bills, taking into account the tendency of mass media to disseminate false and misleading information. The Ministry is also preparing a separate legal framework to further systematize and regulate social media," Minister Timilsina said. He added that the Ministry is working on legal and policy reforms to manage and regulate the misleading and false information spreading across online platforms and social media. He stated that the Press Council Bill has been drafted with the aim of strengthening the Press Council Nepal by granting it additional powers and responsibilities; the government expects that once the bill is enacted into law, the Council will play a more effective role in enforcing the code of conduct and making journalism dignified, organized, and professional.
Minister for Communications Dr. Timilsina also informed the House that coordination and collaboration are underway among relevant bodies—including the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Nepal Police Cyber Bureau, and the Nepal Telecommunications Authority—to control cyber fraud. He noted that, in an effort to curb online betting sites and apps, over 305,000 unique betting sites and new betting apps have been identified and shut down through the Nepal Telecommunications Authority.
He clarified that the government is serious about bringing to justice those who engage in activities such as character assassination, spreading false information, and creating confusion through fake social media accounts. He informed the House that necessary actions regarding complaints related to character assassination are being taken through the Nepal Police Cyber Bureau and the Cyber Security Center.
Minister Dr. Timilsina further stated that the government is committed to protecting the right to privacy of citizens, as guaranteed by Article 28 of the Constitution. Noting that the unauthorized capturing and public dissemination of videos or photographs that infringe upon an individual's personal life is unlawful, he clarified that the government would coordinate with the Ministry of Home Affairs and relevant security agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice in such cases. Similarly, Minister for Communications Dr. Timilsina stated that the government is serious about protecting children from the negative impacts of social media. He noted that the Ministry has taken serious note of the concerns raised in the House regarding the social disorder and family fragmentation resulting from the indiscriminate use of social media, as well as the potential adverse effects on children. He added that the government would study the best practices—such as age-based restrictions and regulatory standards—adopted by various countries to safeguard children from social media use, and subsequently formulate necessary policies and provisions suited to the context of Nepal.
