Chief Secretary to Head e-Governance Commission The meeting of the Council of Minister held on 13 December decided to amend the Order of Formation and Operation of Electronic Good Governance Commission. As per the amendment now the E-Gov Commission will be chaired by the Chief Secretary in place of Prime Minister. The other key changes include removing private sector board members and altering the leadership structure. The commission will now consist of secretaries from communications, finance, home, general administration, and the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. Additionally, a data exchange platform will be developed to integrate government agency systems with the Citizen App. Despite the leadership shift, the commission’s secretariat will remain under the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. | | | Hackers Steal Rs 34.2 Million from F1 Soft’s Bank Account Hackers have stolen Rs 34.2 million from the bank account of F1 Soft, a software and technology development company. The money was transferred from the company’s Citizens Bank International account through online banking. An international hacking group is suspected to be involved. The police, who are investigating the matter, have arrested some account holders linked to the transfers. The stolen money was reportedly used for ticket payments and facilitated hundi transactions. The police and bank officials are still working to determine how the hacking occurred, as this type of cybercrime poses a new challenge for the banking sector. Rising Online Violence Against Nepali Women Politicians
Online violence targeting Nepali women politicians has significantly increased, according to a report by the Open Nepal Initiative (ONI). The report, based on monitoring the social media of 12 prominent women politicians from August to October 2024, found a sharp rise in incidents, with 24 cases in August, 35 in September, and 44 in October. Over 60% of the incidents involved defamatory language and hate speech, primarily on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. Toshima Karki, Sumana Shrestha, Arju Rana Deuba, and Sunita Baral were the most affected. ONI recommends stricter cyber law enforcement, awareness campaigns, and greater accountability for social media platforms to address the issue. U.S. Supreme Court to Hear TikTok’s Appeal Against Possible Ban
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on January 10 regarding TikTok and ByteDance’s challenge to a law requiring the sale of TikTok by January 19 or facing a nationwide ban over national security concerns. The law, passed in April, alleges TikTok poses risks due to its access to U.S. user data and content manipulation potential. TikTok and ByteDance argue the ban violates free speech protections under the First Amendment and would severely impact the platform, which serves 170 million Americans. Scam Alert – NTC Warns Against Christmas Gift Scam on Social Media
Nepal Telecom (NTC) has issued a warning about a scam spreading on Facebook and Messenger, falsely claiming the company is offering up to Rs. 5000 in cash and gifts for Christmas and New Year 2025. The scam uses deceptive links containing “nepaltelecom” in the URL to appear legitimate. NTC clarified it is not running any such campaigns and urged users not to click suspicious links. Many users reported that clicking the link resulted in the scam message being forwarded to their Facebook contacts. | | | DRN Hosts Discussion on Data Protection in Nepal
On December 20, 2024, Digital Rights Nepal (DRN) successfully organized a workshop on “Data Protection in Nepal: Assessing Legal Framework and Addressing Gaps.” The event aimed to critically analyze Nepal’s existing data protection laws and policies, identify the gaps in the legal framework, and propose necessary reforms.
The session brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including lawmakers, legal experts, media professionals, representatives from civil society, tech and data industry. These participants engaged in thought-provoking discussions about the importance of data protection in today’s digital age and how Nepal can ensure robust legal safeguards for citizens’ personal data.
Throughout the discussions, it was emphasized that while though Nepal has made progress in digitalization, there is still a significant gap in data protection laws and policies. Experts and lawmakers stressed that implementing robust data protection legislation is essential for both advancing digitalization and safeguarding citizens’ privacy. The event offered valuable insights into efforts to create a more secure digital environment in Nepal. | | | | Digital Safety and Hygiene Training for Students concluded!
On December 14, 2024, Digital Rights Nepal conducted digital literacy classes for 30 students of Samaanta Foundation, studying in grades 11 and 12. The sessions covered a wide range of topics, including digital safety, cyber laws, types of cyber harms, digital hygiene, netiquettes, and grievance mechanisms. The interactive program encouraged students to share their personal experiences, leading to insightful discussions on navigating the digital world. | | | | 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. | | | |
