Nepal to Use National ID Details for Voter Registration The Election Commission has decided to use data already collected for Nepal’s National Identity Card to register voters. The move aims to ease pressure on voter registration offices as the 16 November deadline approaches and public complaints grow over long queues, server issues, and difficulty securing biometric appointments. In response to these challenges, the deadline to update the voter list has also been extended by five days. Following a meeting led by Prime Minister Sushila Karki, officials from the Election Commission and the National Identity and Registration Department agreed to share data after completing necessary legal procedures. This means citizens who already have a national ID number and have filled out the online voter registration form will no longer need to visit the election office for photos or biometrics. Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari confirmed that technical teams from both institutions are working to implement the system immediately. Director General Navaraj Ghimire also stated that the Department will provide the Commission with biometric details of individuals who possess a national ID, enabling faster and more efficient voter list updates. The decision responds to growing pressure from Gen-Z youth and civil society, who have urged the government to adopt practical solutions, such as reusing existing biometrics, to reduce administrative burden and ensure all eligible citizens can register on time. It also reflects a broader shift toward integrated digital systems that reduce duplication, enhance service delivery, and improve governance efficiency. Digital Rights Nepal acknowledges the need to ease voter registration processes but remains deeply concerned about the absence of a comprehensive data protection law and clear safeguards governing the reuse of National ID data. While leveraging existing biometrics may improve efficiency, the lack of robust legal guardrails heightens the risk of misuse, unauthorized access, and data being used in ways that people did not originally agree to. DRN urges the government to immediately establish strong data protection standards to ensure that data collected for the National ID is not repurposed without clear oversight, legal clarity, and public trust. | | | Nepal Launches National AI Centre to Drive Digital Transformation The Government of Nepal has established a National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Centre under the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology to enhance public and private sector services through AI and digital technology. The Centre aims to support good governance, corruption control, employment generation, and innovation, while addressing human resource gaps and improving digital information reliability. It will act as the secretariat of the AI Council, implementing the Council’s directives and coordinating AI-related initiatives. In line with the National AI Policy 2025, the government plans to establish AI Centers of Excellence across universities and research institutions, starting discussions with Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University. The policy also envisions an AI Regulatory Council to develop standards and regulate AI in Nepal. Meta Earning in Billions from Scam Ads
Internal Meta documents reveal that the company earned an estimated 10% of its 2024 revenue (around $16 billion) from ads promoting scams and banned goods on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. These ads exposed users to fraudulent e-commerce schemes, illegal gambling, and illicit medical products. On average, Meta’s platforms showed “higher risk” scam ads daily, generating roughly $7 billion annually from this category alone. Internal documents also indicate that Meta’s platforms facilitated a significant portion of global online fraud, with U.S. reports suggesting involvement in one-third of all successful scams.
Regulatory pressure is mounting, with the U.S. SEC investigating Meta for financial scams and UK regulators attributing 54% of payments-related scam losses in 2023 to Meta’s platforms. Despite acknowledging the need for stricter enforcement, internal documents show Meta weighed the impact on revenue before taking action. In early 2025, enforcement teams were limited to measures costing no more than 0.15% of total revenue (~$135 million). Australia Introduces Age Restrictions on Popular Social Media Platforms
Australia has announced that nine social media services will be restricted for children under 16 starting 10 December. The platforms, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Kik, and Reddit, will require users to be at least 16 years old to access them, according to the Australian eSafety Commissioner. The age restrictions will not apply to other popular platforms including Discord, GitHub, LEGO Play, Roblox, Steam and Steam Chat, Google Classroom, Messenger, WhatsApp, and YouTube Kids. Nepal Telecom Authority to Resume ISP Merger and Acquisition Process
The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) is set to resume work on laws related to mergers and acquisitions (M&A) of internet service providers (ISPs) to address intense market competition that has triggered a “price war” and threatened the financial stability of smaller providers. Although the Authority submitted recommendations to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology in 2022, a comprehensive law on ISP M&A has not yet been enacted.
The move aims to stabilize the ISP sector, which faces unhealthy competition as providers arbitrarily price packages, sometimes undercutting each other drastically. This has led to license cancellations and financial distress for many smaller ISPs, reducing the total number of operators from over 150 to 108. TikTok Enhances Teen Safety with Family Pairing Tools
TikTok has introduced a range of family safety and privacy tools in Nepal to help parents ensure that teenagers use the app safely and responsibly. Building on the existing Family Pairing feature, parents can now manage screen time, set daily limits, schedule breaks, and control direct messaging, comments, searchability, and video downloads. For users under 16, direct messaging is automatically turned off, night-time notifications are muted, and feeds are curated to display age-appropriate content. A default 60-minute screen-time limit is applied for users under 18. Parents can also monitor their child’s privacy settings and receive alerts when a public video is posted, fostering conversations about healthy screen time and responsible online behavior. | | | Updating Nepal’s National Test List for Censorship Detection
On 14 November, Digital Rights Nepal (DRN), in collaboration with the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI), organized a workshop focused on updating Nepal’s national test list for censorship detection through community participation.
The workshop aimed to review and refine the URLs currently included in Nepal’s test list, ensuring that they remain relevant and reflective of the country’s digital landscape. Participants also worked to identify new websites for testing across selected categories under the OONI Probe framework.
In addition to technical updates, the session raised awareness among civil society actors about the importance of censorship measurement and its role in safeguarding digital rights. The workshop further contributed to building local capacity for evidence-based advocacy, equipping participants with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively use OONI probe in monitoring and responding to online censorship. | | | | Understanding and Addressing Online Gender-Based Violence
On 8 November, Women Leaders in Technology, in collaboration with the Digital Rights Action Group, successfully organized a program titled “Understanding and Addressing Online Gender-Based Violence.” The event brought together diverse stakeholders to share field-based experiences, identify gaps, and discuss emerging needs in combating online gender-based harms. Through group work and reflective discussions, participants collectively examined what is missing in current responses and explored actionable steps that can be implemented immediately.
A hands-on workshop on Co-creating Safe Feminist Digital Spaces enabled participants to collaboratively envision practical, inclusive, and sustainable approaches to digital safety. The program concluded with an experience-sharing session, where participants highlighted major takeaways, reaffirmed the urgency of addressing online gender-based violence, and emphasized the importance of continued collaboration, knowledge exchange, and community-centered interventions moving forward. |  | | | 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. | | | | |
