Social Media Ad Spending Surges Ahead of Nepal’s 2026 Elections Political parties and candidates have already intensified campaigning on Meta platforms for House of Representatives elections to be held March 5, 2026. Data from October 20, 2025 to January 11, 2026 shows growing interest in paid political advertisements across Facebook and related platforms. Among all advertisers, the Rastriya Parivartan Party spent the most on Facebook ads in the past 90 days, using pages linked to the Gen-Z United Movement and district branches. Other major pages and individuals running sponsored political content include the Gatisheel Loktantrik Party, Birendra Bahadur Basnet’s secretariat, Shri Gurung, Ujyalo Nepal Official, Sunil Kumar Sharma, and RSP Coverage-related pages. In terms of ad volume, the Gatisheel Loktantrik Party main page posted 39 sponsored posts, followed by the Rastriya Parivartan Party Okhaldhunga branch (30) and the Rastriya Parivartan Party main page (24). The Change Party has continued running sponsored content even after merging with Ujyalo Nepal, signaling that overall spending may rise further. Financially, the Rastriya Parivartan Party alone spent around $2,360 (approx. NPR 337,000) through multiple pages over three months. Ujyalo Nepal Official also spent $464, while the Gatisheel Loktantrik Party spent $1,106 in the same period. Birendra Bahadur Basnet additionally promoted campaigns through his personal secretariat page, spending $630 on 16 sponsored posts. Several individuals and pages also spent notable amounts, including Shri Gurung ($489), who is contesting again from Kathmandu-5, and a voter-awareness page, Citizens for Voting Nepal, which spent $417 on a single ad. Some pages appeared misleading in branding, promoting specific candidates while presenting themselves as broader political coverage platforms. Meta data from January 11–17 shows a slight dip in weekly spending, but ad activity is expected to increase after nominations open on January 19. Concerns remain over missing disclaimers and misleading page branding, with experts warning that even modest ad spending can significantly influence voters through targeted advertising. The Election Code of Conduct, effective from 18 January, prohibits paid election promotion, sponsorship, boosting, or targeted ads on foreign social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and X (Twitter). The boosted and paid promoted content on digital platforms directly violates the Code of Conduct. However, Meta advertising data indicates that significant paid election campaigning continues despite these restrictions. While digital campaigning has improved accessibility and reduced costs, particularly benefiting new candidates, it also exposes unethical practices, including fake engagement, paid comments, and harassment, with women candidates disproportionately affected by gender-based attacks. This data highlights the urgent need for stricter monitoring and stronger enforcement to ensure the Code of Conduct is effectively implemented and that paid promotions are prevented, keeping digital campaigns fair, transparent, and safe. | | | Government Launches Election Police Cyber Cell
The government has launched an “Election Police Cyber Cell” to monitor and control rumors, misinformation, and election-related suspicious activities on social media and digital platforms.
Home Minister Omprakash Aryal, Home Secretary Rajkumar Shrestha, and spokesperson Anand Kafle announced the initiative, stating it will work in coordination with the Election Commission. The cell will identify misleading content, inform the Commission when needed, and support investigations, content removal, and legal action if offenses are found. Election Code of Conduct Enforced with Strict Digital Rules
The Election Commission has enforced the election code of conduct from midnight on 18 January 2026 for the House of Representatives elections scheduled for 5 March 2026, implementing it earlier than usual in view of the National Assembly elections as well.
The code places strict controls on social media and online platforms. Spreading false or misleading information, digital propaganda, hate speech, character defamation, and the use of AI-generated deepfakes are strictly prohibited. Campaigning through fake accounts or groups, and engaging with content that violates the code, is also considered an offense.
Political parties and candidates may campaign only through their official pages and must submit details of digital advertising expenses to the Commission. The 48-hour silence period before voting remains in force, during which all promotional content must be removed.
Online media outlets and journalists are instructed to remain neutral and clearly label paid content as advertisements. The Commission will use special technical mechanisms and social media monitoring tools, with penalties including fines of up to NPR 100,000 and possible cancellation of candidacy for violations. PCN Receives 163 Complaints, Steps Up Election Monitoring
In the first six months of FY 2025/26, the Press Council Nepal (PCN) registered 163 complaints. Of these, 77 were sent for rebuttal, 52 received responses shared with complainants, and 14 were resolved through apologies and corrections. The Council also suspended 5 contents, sought clarification in 10 cases, issued warnings in 5 cases, and penalized one media outlet.
During the same period, the Council self-monitored 744 contents from 632 media, web portals, and social media platforms, warning 136 media and 27 non-media for code violations. With the election code of conduct in effect, the Council has launched special monitoring and urged media and journalists to avoid unverified, biased, defamatory, hateful, or misleading content during the election period. ECN Launches Call Center for Voter Queries
The Election Commission, Nepal (ECN) has opened a call center from 19 January to assist voters and citizens ahead of the House of Representatives election on 5 March.
Operating from 9 AM to 6 PM initially, the center will gradually extend its hours. It has six service desks and can handle up to 15 simultaneous calls without putting callers on hold.
Citizens can reach the call center toll-free at 1102. The service will continue until the distribution of certificates to elected candidates, said Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai. TikTok Q3 2025 Enforcement Report: Content and Account Removals
TikTok’s Q3 2025 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report (July–September) shows that 2.83 million videos were removed from Nepal for guideline violations, with 98% of them removed within 24 hours. Globally, TikTok removed 204.5 million videos (0.7% of total uploads), 186.6 million through automated detection, and reinstated 8.95 million after review.
The platform also removed 118.6 million fake accounts and 22.2 million accounts suspected of belonging to users under 13. Among the removed content, 30% contained adult material, 15.7% violated security or decency rules, 2.7% violated privacy or safety, 32.9% was misinformation, and 34.4% was AI-edited content. | | | Mis/Disinformation Election Code of Conduct in Effect: Misinformation Persists Amid Monitoring Efforts With the Election Code of Conduct coming into force this week, expectations were high that stricter regulations on social media and the spread of misinformation would curb election-related misinformation. Despite these measures, multiple incidents of politically motivated misinformation were observed, highlighting how quickly misleading narratives can circulate and influence public opinion during the election period. Notable cases included false claims that RSP Rupandehi leader Madhuprasad Aryal had been arrested for allegedly setting fire to the parliament, Similarly, fake poll posters projecting a wide win for KP Sharma Oli in Jhapa Constituency No. 5 went viral without credible methodology. AI-driven misinformation also circulated, including images falsely claiming Dhangadhi Mayor Gopal Hamal was joining RSP, and viral claims that Balendra Shah shoving a supporter was ‘AI-generated’ later confirmed to be genuine. In parallel development, the Election Commission announced the use of AI-based software “E-Monitor Plus”, with technical support from the Nepal Police and Nepali Army, to detect misinformation, hate speech, toxic content, and potential data risks on platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The system, trained with over 200 media and social media sources and election-related keywords, can analyze content in Devanagari, Roman Nepali, and English via a cloud-based dashboard, monitoring public posts. The Commission is also collaborating with Meta, TikTok, and Techpana News Portal to address deepfakes and AI-generated misleading content. Similarly, Durga Prasai, arrested for allegedly spreading rumors against the Election Commission and political leaders, was released on interim bail as investigations continue. While stakeholders generally support stronger online monitoring during elections, digital rights advocates have urged the Commission to ensure transparency, cautioning that heavy surveillance, especially involving security agencies, could foster fear and self-censorship among voters. These developments indicate that enforcing the Code of Conduct alone is insufficient to curb the spread of politically charged misinformation. As Nepal approaches election day, proactive monitoring and collaboration with platforms remain critical. Citizens are strongly encouraged to rely on verified sources, cross-check viral claims through credible media and fact-checkers, and report suspicious content promptly, efforts essential to safeguarding public trust and democratic integrity in Election 2082. | | | | Digital Rights Weekly is a week-based update on Digital Rights and ICT issues, that happened throughout the week, compiled and analyzed from the digital rights perspective by Digital Rights Nepal (DRN). DRN is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to the protection and promotion of digital rights, including the right to online freedom of expression and association, online privacy, access to information, and related issues such as internet governance, cyber laws/policies, and cyber securities in Nepal. | | | |
