Social Media Regulation Bill 2080 Moves Forward The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MoCIT) has registered the Draft social media (Use and Regulation) Bill, 2080 in the Council of Ministers. Following a Supreme Court directive, issued during a hearing on the TikTok ban writ petition, the bill is being fast-tracked for approval. Ministry spokesperson Gajendra Kumar Thakur confirmed that the draft, shaped by feedback and suggestions, has been sent to the Health, Education, and Communications Committee of the Cabinet. The government is preparing to submit the bill during the upcoming winter session. It will first go to the Cabinet for approval before being forwarded to parliamentary committees. Digital Rights Nepal has also published an analysis paper, recommending that the bill safeguard freedom of expression and fundamental rights. The analysis, based on Nepal’s Constitution, international human rights laws, and stakeholder discussions, was handed to the MoCIT Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung two weeks back. The bill, which spans 8 chapters and 64 sections, outlines the formation of social media management councils, platform registration, and penalties for prohibited activities. It addresses vague content prohibitions, platform registration, content removal, and criminalization of anonymous identities. The analysis paper suggests ways to regulate social media without infringing on freedom of expression and fundamental rights. Read full analysis here: Analysis Paper on Social Media (Use and Regulation) Bill, 2080 | | | Internet Archive Restores Services in Read-Only Mode After Cyberattack The Internet Archive and Wayback Machine are back online in a provisional, read-only state after a cyberattack took them down on 9 October. The attack included a DDoS and a data breach that compromised 31 million user records. While users can access archived web pages, the ability to archive new ones is temporarily disabled. Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle confirmed the site may face further maintenance or suspensions as the team continues to restore services and strengthen security. The breach included stolen email addresses, hashed passwords, and screen names. The incident occurred shortly after Google began linking to archived pages from the Wayback Machine in its search results. | | | Upcoming Event Encrypt Today to Safeguard Tomorrow: The Encryption Summit On the occasion of Encryption Day, October 21, the Global Encryption Coalition Steering Committee is hosting the second edition of the Encryption Summit: Encrypt Today to Safeguard Tomorrow. This marquee event aims to celebrate the power of encryption, explore the regulatory challenges it faces, and bring together our global community. Digital Rights Nepal’s Executive Director, Adv. Santosh Sigdel, will be speaking on encryption policies, the ecosystem, and court decisions in Nepal. Register here to be part of this pivotal movement shaping the future of online privacy and security. | | | | 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. | | | |
