Digital Rights Weekly/Year 1/Issue 17

Sep 23, 2022

President Assented New Statistics Act, 2022
The Statistics Act 2022, which is to replace the previous Statistics Act, 2015 (64-year-old piece of legislation) received the President’s approval this week. The National Statistics Office will henceforth be governed by the Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, and the chief statistics officer of the office will be gazetted special category (secretary). Till date Central Bureau of Statistics, which was formed in 2018 BS, was under the National Planning Commission and had a joint secretary as its Director General. The Central Bureau of Statistics will be replaced by National Statistics Office. This Act has centralized the power and authority in the hand of the Office of Prime Minister.( Barnanmedia)
The act also envisioned National Statistical Council, the duty of the Council will be to formulate statistical policy rules, approve the annual action plan of the National Statistics Office, facilitate the management of data at the federal, provincial, and local levels, and conduct policy reviews. This piece of legislation is expected to facilitate the formulation of statistical long-term policy, data access and proper data management in Nepal.( eKantipur)

DIGITAL RIGHTS ISSUES OF THE WEEK

2.7 Billion People Still Do Not Have Internet Access
According to a data by International Telecommunication Union (ITU), an estimated 2.7 billion people do not have access to the Internet in 2022. The United Nations Special Agency for Information and Communication Technology states that the growth in the number of Internet users has slowed since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
For more: Technology Khabar

FNJ Issued a Press Release Against Online Harassment of Journalist
Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) issued a press release drawing attention to the incident in which Sunita Baral, National President of ANNFSU, threatened to beat up Journalist Binu Subedi through social media. Press release states that posting and commenting on social media comes under freedom of expression, but in the name of freedom of expression, a responsible person on a dignified post issuing a direct threat to a journalist through social media is indecent and unacceptable. The FNJ strongly condemns such acts and draws the attention of the concerned parties to respect the constitutional freedom and rights of the press.
For more: Federation of Nepali Journalists

NTA Directs IPS Not To Bundle Internet with TV
Internet Service Providers (IPS) have been instructed by the Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) not to bundle internet and TV service. NTA claims that the inclusion of multiple services in bundles violates the terms of the license agreement and has urged service providers to immediately halt their expansion of their marketing strategy. NTA claims that strong action will be taken against IPS for bundling router, IPTV, and internet.
For more: Technology Khabar

Amendment on Radio Frequency Regulation, 2049 Paved Way for Smart Meters
Finally, the government has decided to give the Nepal Electricity Authority the radio frequencies needed for the installation of smart meters (NEA). The expansion of NEA’s smart meters had been held up due to the frequency issue. The Radio Frequency (License) Regulations, 2049 BS was amended during the cabinet meeting, paving the door for the requisite frequency for smart meters. The government chose to grant frequency in return for a fixed sum, despite the NEA’s plea for free frequency for smart meters.
For more: Techpana

Taliban to Ban PUBG and Tiktok in Afghanistan
The Taliban government will ban TikTok and PUBG applications in Afghanistan. In a meeting with representatives from the security community and the Sharia law enforcement administration, the Ministry of Telecommunications determined to outlaw both TikTok and Pubg in Afghanistan within a 90-day window. Afghanistan is the third nation after Pakistan and India to forbid use of the game PUBG.
For more: Techpana

Writ Filed Against inDriver
A writ petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking closure of ride-sharing app Indriver, stating that it has been illegally operating in Nepal.
For more: Techpana

APT Held SATRC Workshop on Recent Trends and Technologies
The Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) organized the South Asian Telecommunication Regulators’ Council (SATRC) Workshop on Recent Trends and Technologies from 20 to 22 September 2022 in Dhulikhel, Nepal. The workshop was hosted by Nepal Telecommunications Authority. The workshop emphasized on recent trends and technologies for providing connectivity and encouraging innovation toward smart digital society. Workshop gave an opportunity for the SATRC Members as well as industry to share their experiences and future plan to adopt the changes in trends and technologies.
For more: Asia-Pacific Telecommunity

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.

Digital Rights Nepal