February 10: The government is preparing to strictly monitor social networking sites due to an increase in inciting posts and hate speeches targeted towards high profile individuals. The government is making necessary preparations to take a policy-level decision to monitor such sites as well as those who promote such materials.

Unveiling the decisions of the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, Minister for Communication and Information Technology Parbat Gurung said that the government will soon introduce Social Media Directive, 2077 to regulate the misuse of Facebook, YouTube and other online portals.

Minister Gurung said that the government realized the need to regulate irresponsible and derogatory remarks and to discourage the use of social media to promote malpractices and therefore decided to issue the new directive soon.

Meanwhile, Freedom Forum expressed alarm over the announcement of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology that the government was planning to bring a directive on social media/social networking sites.

“The Department of Information and Broadcasting under the Ministry is learnt to have prepared the draft of the directive as per which the social media companies operating in Nepal needs to be registered within three months,” reads a statement issued by Freedom Forum.

Freedom Forum noted that social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have been an effective medium for the people in Nepal to exercise freedom of expression and hold government accountable. According to Freedom Forum, the directive will silence public voice and dissent, which are normal in democratic system.

Moreover, there are separate legal provisions to deal with defamation and public offense through social media. But such actions in the name of controlling defamation, which the Ministry claims, is the blatant attempt to violate citizen's free speech, added the statement.