Prosecution under ETA continues The District Court of Kathmandu has issued an arrest warrant against medical practitioner Durga Prasain and two others on charges of violating the Electronic Transactions Act (ETA). Prasain faces accusations of making defamatory statements and urging the public to refrain from repaying bank loans. This is not the first time an arrest warrant has been issued against Prasain. Previously, a similar warrant was issued by the Bhaktapur District Court. Additionally, a 21-year-old from Parsa has been arrested for posting videos on social media in which he brandished weapons and used vulgar language. The individual is under investigation for disturbing public peace, and authorities are working to identify others who may have been involved. This pattern of prosecution has been escalating, with police recently arresting several individuals for their social media activity under the ETA. Last week, Ramesh Bahadur Rawal, a 21-year-old from Sindhupalchowk, was detained for a Facebook post accusing Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli of corruption, which led to a charge of spreading public hatred. Similarly, two youths from Dhangadhi, Pratik Joshi and Racheet Sarkar Shah, were arrested for questioning government accountability in their social media posts. Another individual, Man Bahadur Karki, was arrested in Kathmandu for posts allegedly deemed harmful to social harmony. All these arrests highlight the increasing legal scrutiny of online speech, with authorities issuing warnings against the misuse of social media and its potential to disrupt public order. | | | PCN President Warns Against Misinformation on Social Media Press Council Nepal President Balkrishna Basnet has urged YouTubers and media platforms to refrain from spreading false and misleading information, calling it an abuse of press freedom. Speaking at a recent council event, Basnet emphasized the importance of positive and creative initiatives in journalism, highlighting the harmful impact of gossip and misinformation on society. The Press Council has already taken legal action against various media platforms, including YouTube, for disseminating one-sided and baseless information. The council’s board meeting recently decided to expand the campaign nationwide to address the irregularities seen on social media and foster more responsible journalism in the country. Tech-Driven Justice: Virtual Courtrooms and the Demand for Live Broadcasts
The Special Court completed the second round of trial proceedings via video conference. On 31 September, statements of 12 defendants were recorded via video conference, and the detention proceedings were completed. This is the second time that the Special Court issued a detention order through video conferencing. The Special Court has stated that the use of video conferencing for case hearings, initiated to provide quick and effective services to citizens through information technology, is expected to help establish citizens’ access to justice.
Similarly, the Supreme Court of Nepal has issued a show cause order to a writ petition calling for live broadcasts of court proceedings, ordering the court administration to show the cause within 15 days why live broadcasts should be withheld. A hearing is scheduled for 15 October. The petition, filed by law students Anil Kumar Sah and Vivek Chaudhary, argues that live broadcasts would enhance judicial transparency and promote greater public engagement in the judicial process. Meta and Spotify questions EU decisions on AI
A group of companies, including Meta and Spotify, criticized the European Union for its “fragmented and inconsistent” decisions on data privacy and AI. They signed an open letter claiming Europe is becoming less competitive and risks falling behind in AI. The letter calls for harmonized and clear decisions from data privacy regulators to enable the use of European data in AI training. Meta recently paused plans to use European user data for AI due to regulatory pressure and has faced significant fines under GDPR. The EU’s AI Act aims to prevent technology abuses, but companies like Meta and Google have delayed product releases in Europe, seeking legal clarity. | | | UN Commissioned AI Report Launched
An artificial-intelligence advisory body at the United Nations on 19 September has released its final report “Governing AI for Humanity”, proposing seven recommendations to address AI-related risks and gaps in governance. The advisory board was set up in October 2023 to analyze international governance of the AI.
The major recommendations include: - Establishment of an international panel to provide impartial and reliable scientific knowledge about AI;
- Policy dialogue on AI governance;
- AI standards exchange;
- Global AI capacity development network to boost governance capacities;
- Global AI fund to address gaps in capacity and collaboration;
- Formation of a global AI data framework to ensure transparency and accountability;
Find the full report here: Governing AI for humanity | | | Digital Rights School Concluded in Bagmati Digital Rights School, Bagmati Edition, the last cohort of the Nepal Digital Rights School 2024, concluded on 21 September, in Kathmandu. Organized by Digital Rights Nepal (DRN) in partnership with the Nepal-U.S. Alumni Network (NUSAN), with the support of the U.S. Embassy in Nepal, brought together participants from diverse fields, including youth, government officials, IT professionals, students, and media.
DRN extends sincere gratitude to our esteemed partners, NUSAN and the U.S. Embassy in Nepal, for their invaluable support in making this event possible. Started in 2022, Digital Rights School is a flagship program of Digital Rights Nepal to promote young digital rights champions across the country. This year the young DRS fellows have established seven province-based Digital Rights Advocacy Network, which will take forward the digital rights awareness and literacy program forward.
#DigitalRightsSchool #DRS #DigitalRightsNepal #DRN #DigitalRights #Bagmati #Lalitpur #ExchangeAlumni #AEIF2023 | | | 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. | | | |
