The restrictions come after the social media giants failed to meet state registration requirements, says government.

#Nepal government's excuse for the social media ban—platforms refusing to register—is just a ruse. Politicians and the powerful are sick of the relentless, biting public scrutiny of their brazen, nonstop corruption. This futile attempt will fail pathetically, they even forgot #Bluesky 😏. #FreeSpeech

Nepal has moved to block 26 social media platforms for failing to comply with its registration requirements.

New Publication ➡️ Understanding #Misinformation in Nepal: Expert Views on Definitions, Determinants, Solutions, and Way Forward, by Ujjwal Acharya & Shehnaz Banu, published by Purak Asia. Download it: purakasia.org/publications... purakasia.org/publications...

#AI as Normal Technology: An alternative to the vision of artificial intelligence as a potential superintelligence knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-a...

"What motivated Gauri Lankesh’s killers? Was it religious belief, ideological conviction? Was it militant Hinduism, machismo, lack of moral conscience, or a belief that they had divine approval for their deed?" @lax_always writes:

#Tiger on #AprilFoolsDay: It was a wonderful experience to see the wild beast plodding in the wilderness of Bardiya, #Nepal, 10 years after I first saw the tiger at Chitwan. This time, it roared heart out to scare us! Photo (c) Bikash Karki

It gives immense joy to see off journalists who in 8 weeks of #MediaTraining go through a transformative phase learning new digital skills to support their profession & passion. I am always grateful to participants, trainers, colleagues at @journalism.academy & Interlink Academy, Germany! #14thBatch

Hello AI: We need tools that solve real problems we have, not tools that desperately looking for problems to solve. @info-activism.bsky.social tacticaltech.org/news/insight...

Acharya, U. (Ed.). (2025). Nepal's Misinformation Landscape. Center for Media Research - Nepal. doi.org/10.62657/cmr...

I shared my review & opinions on #SocialMediaBill with a dozen MPs in a program organized by the Journalists Society of Parliamentary Affairs. During 2 hours of engaging discussion, I argued that the bill is anti-democratic & doesn't properly regulate social media platforms and needs rewriting.

The world and its order, as we know it, is changing, with President Trump acting as a catalyst to expedite the change.

Looking forward to this forthcoming title that I edited: "Nepal's Misinformation Landscape" consists 9 chapters by 8 authors looking at #misinformation and interventions to combat it from different perspectives. The #CMRbook will be available in March 2025.

What fact-checking does do, and what it does well, is resist false narratives and prevent them from becoming entrenched... It holds the line on reality for history’s sake, writes @angieholan.bsky.social of @factchecknet.bsky.social niemanreports.org/fact-checkin...

Why #Nepal's #SocialMediaBill 2025 is undemocratic & problematic stifling Freedom of Expression & internet Freedom? My presentation during an interaction organized by Nepal Press Union. youtu.be/V0Jv_iTNe2c?... (in Nepali)

'The ministry [of Communications and Information Technology] claimed that the Social Media Bill aims to strengthen democracy and enhance the credibility of the press.' Press freedom advocates say this is not true; the real intention is quite the opposite.

#SocialMediaBill 2025: Undemocratic Bill Threatens Fundamental Freedoms in Nepal, Needs Major Rework [the machine-translated, AI-agent corrected and human-finalized summarized version of @cmrnepal.org.np's policy review] ujjwalacharya.medium.com/social-media...

I am quoted in this piece about #SocialMediaBill in The Hindu (India).

Glad to see that Kantipur TV uploaded the whole video of my newsroom talk on #AI and Journalism. The talk is in Nepali. www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAeL...

Govt in every country is so scared of social media. What a shame. Since invention of printing press a nexus of power and media controlled the narrative. Internet gave the masses a voice for the 1st time. Even if there's fake and hate speech but we still need internet free from govt control.

#Nepal government has registered a #SocialMediaBill at the Parliament, which if passed without major rework, will crush freedom of expression, press freedom and right to dissent, while giving arbitrary powers to administrators to punish platforms & users. TV debate 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nbO...

How artificial intelligence can be weaponized for harassment, supercharging harms, including non-consensual intimate imagery #CautionAI by @info-activism.bsky.social in @advox.bsky.social advox.globalvoices.org/2024/12/26/h...

On January 24, I moderated a panel titled "Reviewing Policy Proposals from Digital Rights Perspectives" at the Digital Rights Summit 2025 in Kathmandu, hosted by Digital Rights Nepal w/ MP Bhagwati Neupane, IT Director of Nat'l ID Subhash Dhakal & Assistant Prof. of Law Rukmanee Maharjan.

Democracy is a system that function well only when everyone - voters and representatives - act in good faith, adhere to the principles of democracy & respect all. Otherwise, no matter how strong you feel it is, one person can destroy all its pillars! #ToWhatsoeverIsHappening

Join us to demand global accountability from Big Tech. Civil society must unite to protect democracy & human rights. Together we can build digital spaces that serve humanity, not corporate profits. @digitalaction.bsky.social 📢 Join us: www.globaltechjustice.org #TechAccountability #DigitalJustice

Happy to welcome them all and looking forward for their second attendance phase!

The birthplace of Lord Buddha #Lumbini #Nepal included in "52 Places to Go in 2025", by New York Times #GiftArticle: You can read it for free! www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

#Meta / #Facebook ends third party fact checking program claiming that "too much content being fact checked [that] people would understand to be legitimate political speech & debate". #Trumpera about.fb.com/news/2025/01...

Supercharged by #AI: An exhibition about the effects of artificial intelligence in our online lives, by Tactical Tech hosted by CMR-Nepal is ongoing at Readers' Hub in Kaushaltar, Bhaktapur. It's open for all, you are welcome to visit.

India’s approach to internet governance presents a paradox. Despite positioning itself as a leader of digital innovation, government-imposed shutdowns threaten the country’s digital infrastructure and risks violating citizens' fundamental rights.

Call for Applications 📢 Nepali journalists with 3-year experience & interest in #Podcasting can apply for our course to be held in 2⃣0⃣2⃣5⃣. Interlink fellowships are available to cover costs of training. Apply before: January 17. 🛜 Details 👉 bit.ly/JA_podcast2025

Digital news is steadily gaining ground, tv & radio remain relevant for significant population segments. Print media, however, is in steady decline. #NepalMedia nepalitimes.com/here-now/wha...

I wrote about a scientific paper called “The Unbearable Slowness of Being” which finds that the human brain’s throughput is just 10 bits per second. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2024/12/26/s... 🧪

"Understanding Misinformation in Nepal: An Analysis of Fact-Checks", by our researcher Chetana Kunwar was selected to present on poster at the Kathmandu Conference on Communication and Media 2024 on December 22-23. #CombatingMisinformation

"Training Needs of Nepali Journalists", by our researcher @rabirajbaral.bsky.social was selected to present on poster at the Kathmandu Conference on Communication and Media 2024 on December 22-23. #mediatraining

Call for Applications: Our first course in 2025 will be on "Data Driven Journalism," and we invite mid-career journalists to apply for course and #Interlink fellowship to cover course fees! For detail and application: bit.ly/JA_data5 #MediaTraining

Empowering desk editors to understand & minimize #misinformation: I, Deepak Adhikari & Mohan Mainali led two-day workshop on December 16 - 17, organized by Center for Investigative Journalism Nepal in Kathmandu talking to 10 journalists on their roles in combating misinformation through fact-checks.

Does social media fully represent Nepal's society? Are characterstics we see on social media true representation of the concerned individual? I believe not and therefore media's over-reliance on social media to understand society and thereby creating a narrative around what is seen is a misleading.

#SouthAsia continues to be most dangerous region outside war zone for journalists. In 2024 (so far), 104 journalists were killed with 55 in Gaza. In South Asia, 14 journalists were killed (#Pakistan 6, #Bangladesh 5 & #India 3): IFJ #JournalismIsNotACrime

Ministry of Foreign Affairs today published the fulltext of #BRI Framework for Cooperation between #Nepal & #China signed in Beijing on December 4, 2024. web.archive.org/web/20241210...

Rather than modernizing interception laws, India’s new rules expand state powers significantly, putting citizens’ privacy and digital rights at risk, write Jyoti Panday and Saumya Jain.

With ❤️ from #Nepal: "Porto" - a Chrome extension that transfers all your Tweets ➡️ Bluesky. Developed by Ankit Bhandari, Yogesh Aryal, and Adarsh Kunwar. chromewebstore.google.com/detail/porto...

The consumer way of looking at AI is the most dangerous perspective. Not only do we become dependent on it, but we are less critical of the ways AI is going to be used to control us argues Osama Manzar at #GVSummit2024 ‘

In #AI, there is hardly any data justice. Data is being taken from those who are connected and from those who are not connected… and those who are unconnected suffer the most from these systems: Osama Manzar, DEF, India #GVSummit2024

"Putting 'We' in #AI" - I'm attending #GVSummit2024 session moderated by @globalvoices.bsky.social ED Malka Older, Osama Manzar, Dr Tochi Precious & Genner Llanes-Ortiz.

Trainers of @journalism.academy at @globalvoices.bsky.social Summit 2024 in Kathmandu, Nepal. #GVSummit2024

"Looming Large: China's Effects on the World" - #GVSummit2024 session with @globalvoices.bsky.social Board Chair Mary Kay Magistad, @laismartins.com, Amish Raj Mulmi, Desire Nimubona & @nasredinhoja.bsky.social.

"Demystifying Your Data" - interactive and informative session at @globalvoices.bsky.social Summit 2024 in Kathmandu with Safa from Tactical Tech facilitating. #GVSummit2024 #DigitalSafety