Digital Rights Weekly/Year 1/Issue 27

Dec 09, 2022

Government May Possess Assets of TELCOs after License Expiry
Nepal Government has passed a regulation paving way for the management of Telecom Companies (TELCOs) after expiry of their license. The government issued a Regulation relating to Property Management of Telecom Service Providers Whose License has Expired, 2079, under which government may take possession of the property of TELCOs whose licenses have expired through Nepal Telecom Authority (NTA). This regulation is based on Section 25(1), 25(5) and Section 28 of the Telecommunication Act, 1997(2053), where the regulator is entitled to take over service provider’s land, building, machinery, equipment, telecommunication infrastructure, telecommunication system, and telecommunication network, after expiry of the license.
For more: Technology Khabar

Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Concluded
The 17th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2022 under the theme ‘Resilient internet for a shared sustainable and common future’ concluded on 2 November 2022 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Digital Rights Nepal (DRN) participated in the different sessions of the forum and highlighted the internet freedom issues and concerns. The overarching topic and its five themes, aligned with the UN Secretary-General’s envisioned Global Digital Compact, echoed throughout the forum.
Please refer the link to consult all IGF 2022 outputs.

Government Removes Import Ban on High-End Phones
The Government of Nepal has put an end to the long-existed ban on phone imports (above $300) and other goods. The move eases the import of phones, cars, beverages, snacks, and other items deemed “luxurious”. The government says that the lifting of the ban on imports will come into effect on December 16. The meeting of the Council of Ministers on 6 December, made the decision to tend the import ban after 9 months. The import ban has been in place since April 26 as a desperate measure to stop the currency outflow. The government later extended the ban till December 15 (Mangsir 29).
For more: Techpana

New Zealand to make Law Requiring Digital Companies Pay for News
The New Zealand government said it would introduce a law that will require big online digital companies such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Meta Platforms Facebook to pay New Zealand media companies for the local news content that appears on their feeds.
Minister of Broadcasting Willie Jackson said in a statement on Sunday that the legislation will be modeled on similar laws in Australia and Canada and he hoped it would act as an incentive for the digital platforms to reach deals with local news outlets.
For more: Reuters

KMC Partnered with Khalti to Digitalize Revenue Collection
Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) partnered with Khalti, a digital wallet, to digitalize the revenue collection of the KMC. The cooperation allows Khalti users to pay various taxes without visiting the Metro/Ward offices. Now the residents inside the capital can pay rental tax, property tax, and business tax online through the popular mobile payment app.
For more: Techmandu

5G Users Expected to Reach 1 Billion by Year End
More than 1 billion people will be connected to 5G by the end of 2022, according to the latest mobility report from Ericsson. Between July and September of this year, 5G added 110 million subscribers around the world, upping the total count to 870 million, said the report. That’s almost double the number of 5G subscribers there were by the end of 2021, which the Swedish telecommunications equipment maker estimated to be 580 million. By 2028, 5G is expected to reach 5 billion subscriptions globally and makeup 55% of all network subscriptions, according to the report. Overall mobile subscriptions in 2028 are expected to be more than 9.2 billion.
For more: Nepalitelecom

One Booked for duping Cyber Bureau Facebook Page
One person has been arrested for duping cyber bureau of Nepal police by creating a fake Facebook page of cyber bureau. According to the Cyber Bureau, Karan Mahato (18), from Jhuwani, Chitwan has been arrested for creating a fake Facebook page of Cyber Bureau with the intention to deceive public and collect information from them.
For more: Techpana

US States and Agencies banning TikTok over Cybersecurity Risk
It is reported that select US states have started banning the use of TikTok and certain China and Russia-based platforms in the state’s executive branch of government, Gov. Recently, the State of Maryland, South Dakota, as well as the U.S. armed forces have banned such platforms and services citing their possible involvement in cyber espionage, government surveillance and inappropriate collection of sensitive personal information.
For more: nbcwashington

PUBLICATION

RDR’s 2022 Telco Giants Scoreboard launched
Ranking Digital Right’s 2022 (RDR’s) Telco Giants Scoreboard is live now. This Telco Giants Scorecard is based on evaluation of the 12 largest telcos around the world. This scorecard reveals that telecom companies, despite being gatekeepers of the internet for most of the world, are less transparent overall and more susceptible to government demands than their Big Tech peers.
For more: Ranking Digital Rights

Online child-on-child Abuse Guide published
Internet matters published a guide named online child on child abuse. This guide will help parents and carers understand the concept of child-on-child abuse and how to deal with it if it happens. This guide is created with insight from online safety expert Karl Hopwood and psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos.
To download the Guide: Internet Matters

OPPORTUNITIES

Registration for ICANN76 is now open! The ICANN Community Forum will be held in Cancún, Mexico, 11-16 March 2023. The meeting will be a hybrid, with in-person and virtual participation.
Click to register: ICANN76

Call for applications for 2023 Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE): Deadline is January 3, 2023.
Click here to register: FASPE

DRN ACTIVITIES

Digital Rights Nepal (DRN), in collaboration with Internet Rights and Principle coalition (IRPC), has translated the Charter of Human Rights and Principles for the Internet, in Nepali language. It is one of the important works DRN accomplished this year to promote digital rights. This publication aims to increase understanding of Digital Rights and Internet Freedom among Nepali stakeholders and audience; and provide insights for the policy priorities.
To download a digital copy : IRPC Charter : Nepali Translation

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