| Dear Readers,
As we close the chapter on 2025, we would like to express our sincere thanks to our community, partners, and supporters. Your trust, engagement, and solidarity have been vital to advancing our work on digital rights, and we are truly grateful for your continued support.
Throughout the year, your encouragement and collaboration strengthened our advocacy and reinforced our shared commitment to rights-based digital governance. As we look ahead, we are excited to build on this momentum together and deepen our collective impact in the year to come.
Thank you for standing with Digital Rights Nepal and for being part of this ongoing journey. We wish you a New Year filled with hope, collaboration, and meaningful progress.
Happy New Year 2026! | | | Digital Right Summit 2025 Concluded Successfully
Digital Rights Nepal (DRN), in collaboration with the Digital Rights Action Group, successfully organized the Digital Rights Summit 2025 on 26 December 2025. The Summit served as a national platform to reflect on Nepal’s digital rights landscape throughout 2025 and to collectively identify priorities for advancing rights-respecting digital governance. The event convened policymakers, constitutional and regulatory bodies, civil society organizations, journalists, technologists, youth representatives, academics, and digital rights advocates.
The program featured two high-level panel discussions on social media regulation in the post–Gen Z movement context and ensuring free and fair elections in an increasingly digital environment. A key highlight of the Summit was the official launch of the State of Digital Rights and safety in Nepal 2025, providing an evidence-based overview of policy, legislative, and institutional developments, as well as emerging digital rights challenges in Nepal.
The Opening Ceremony was chaired by Mr. Bhola Nath Dhungana, Chairperson of Digital Rights Nepal. The Summit was graced by Rt. Hon. Manoj Duwady, Commissioner, National Human Rights Commission, as Chief Guest, who underscored that digital rights are human rights. He highlighted the internet’s growing role as an essential part of daily life and civic participation, and critically reflected on the restrictive approaches adopted by previous governments to regulate the internet and social media, noting their adverse impacts on the rights and freedoms of citizens.
The ceremony also featured Ms. Durga Bhandari, Member, National Information Commission, as Special Guest, who emphasized the critical importance of digital platforms in enabling and exercising the right to information, particularly in the context of digital governance and public accountability.
In the closing session, Ms. Radhika Aryal, Secretary, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MoCIT), delivered the closing remarks and summarized key discussions from the Summit. She emphasized the need for social media regulation through clear, appropriate, and rights-respecting legal frameworks, and encouraged all stakeholders to provide constructive suggestions to inform policymaking processes. She further underscored the importance of continued multi-stakeholder engagement and highlighted the value of platforms such as the Digital Rights Summit in fostering inclusive dialogue for effective and balanced digital regulation.
As Nepal continues to advance digitalization across governance and public services, the Summit underscored the importance of aligning regulatory and policy frameworks with constitutional guarantees and international human rights standards. Digital Rights Nepal extends its sincere appreciation to all speakers, participants, partners, and supporters for their valuable contributions.
The Digital Rights Summit 2025 reaffirms a shared commitment to promoting open, inclusive, and rights-respecting digital governance in Nepal. | | Publication of State of Digital Rights and Safety 2025
DRN published Annual report on the State of Digital Rights and Safety in Nepal.
This report finds that Nepal’s digital transformation in 2025 was characterized by a widening gap between technological growth and rights protection. While the government advanced e-governance, digital identity systems, AI policy, and platform regulation, these initiatives were often pursued without adequate consultation, transparency, or human rights safeguards. Proposed and enacted policies and laws on social media, cybersecurity, intelligence, and media regulation tilted toward control rather than accountability, leading to censorship, chilling effects on speech, and public resistance.
Social media regulation became the most visible flashpoint. The proposed Social Media Bill and enforcement of platform registration requirements culminated in nationwide platform bans, mass content removals, legal actions, and widespread protests. These measures disrupted communication, economic activity, and civic engagement, and raised serious concerns about proportionality, due process, and constitutional rights.
Freedom of expression and press freedom faced increasing constraints through a combination of legal action, platform moderation, judicial interventions, and informal pressures. Journalists, creators, and activists experienced takedowns, arrests, and intimidation, contributing to a chilling effect on dissent and public debate. Although courts provided some corrective rulings, judicial safeguards alone proved insufficient to counterbalance expanding executive power. Misinformation, disinformation, and synthetic media emerged as major threats to social trust and stability, particularly during periods of political unrest. Weak state communication, low media literacy, and opaque platform moderation allowed false narratives and deepfakes to spread rapidly, amplifying polarization and undermining public confidence.
Privacy and data protection gained increased attention through court rulings and parliamentary debate, yet the absence of a comprehensive data protection law left citizens vulnerable to misuse of personal and biometric data, especially as digital identity systems and interoperability initiatives expanded. Cybersecurity threats and cybercrime escalated sharply, exposing weak institutional preparedness, limited transparency in breach response, and growing risks to both public systems and individual users. Particularly alarming was the rise of transnational cybercrime and the trafficking of Nepali workers into forced online scam operations abroad.
Finally, audit reports and corruption cases revealed that Nepal’s digital crisis is rooted less in technological capacity than in governance failures including mismanagement, politicization of regulators, weak oversight, and lack of accountability.
Despite these challenges, 2025 also demonstrated strong civic resistance and engagement. Journalists, civil society, youth movements, and digital rights defenders mobilized to contest restrictive policies and demand more transparent, rights-based digital governance. Courts, though limited, played an important corrective role, and negotiated outcomes such as the December 2025 agreement on digital rights reflect the continuing contestation over Nepal’s digital future.
The report concludes that Nepal stands at a digital crossroads. Without a shift toward participatory lawmaking, strong data protection, independent oversight, and rights-centered governance, digital transformation risks deepening control, inequality, and mistrust. With the right reforms, however, it can become a foundation for inclusion, accountability, and democratic resilience.
Full read: THE STATE OF DIGITAL RIGHTS AND SAFETY IN NEPAL 2025 | |  | | Throughout 2025, Digital Rights Nepal (DRN) played a role in monitoring, analyzing, and responding to developments affecting digital rights, safety, and governance in Nepal. Through policy advocacy, research, capacity building, and partnerships, DRN promoted rights-based digital governance and strengthened civic engagement in digital policy processes. | | | A. Policy Advocacy and Research
In 2025, DRN actively engaged in several major policy processes. It closely monitored and provided analysis and recommendations on the Social Media (Operation, Use and Regulation) Bill, contributing feedback through submissions, policy briefs, public consultations, and a national dialogue co-organized with Martin Chautari. Several DRN recommendations were reflected in later revisions of the Bill.
DRN also submitted expert analyses on the Draft AI Policy, Personal Data Protection Policy, and E-Governance Blueprint, highlighting gaps in accountability, transparency, human rights safeguards, and oversight. These efforts were undertaken in collaboration with national and international stakeholders, including AI Association Nepal and Accountability Lab Nepal.
Additionally, DRN coordinated a joint civil society report for Nepal’s Fourth Cycle UPR, informed by a national consultation and public outreach. It also produced legal and human rights analyses of the National Intelligence Bill 2082 and the IT and Cybersecurity Bill, raising concerns around surveillance, privacy, due process, and institutional overreach. | | | | B. Capacity Building
DRN prioritized strengthening the capacity of CSOs, youth, educators, and legal professionals across Nepal. The Digital Rights School (DRS) was implemented in Gandaki, Karnali, and Bagmati Provinces, focusing on digital rights, online safety, freedom of expression, privacy, and civil society advocacy.
Through the Digital Rights Advocates Network (DRAN), DRN supported province-level outreach on digital safety and hygiene, including school and community programs in Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces. DRN also conducted targeted workshops on institutional digital policy development, organizational digital safety, and digital rights for lawyers.
At the regional level, DRN collaborated with UNESCO and universities from Nepal, India and Bangladesh to advance AI-informed journalism, contributing to curriculum development, expert consultations, and regional academic cooperation. | | C. Collaboration and Partnerships
DRN strengthened collaboration through national, regional, and global partnerships. It worked closely with Women in Data, co-organizing policy discussions and supporting the launch of the Women in Data Nepal platform. As coordinator of the Digital Rights Sub-Group under the EU Human Rights Defenders Working Group, DRN coordinated initiatives to address digital risks facing human rights defenders.
DRN partnered with youth organizations, CSOs, and networks to conduct webinars, workshops, and public awareness programs, and supported key national initiatives including Youth IGF Nepal 2025 and the National AI Summit 2025 It also co-founded the Digital Rights Action Group (DRAG) to strengthen coordinated advocacy and supported DRAG members in organizing activities to advance digital rights. DRN further collaborated with Oxfam and Yuwalaya to deliver capacity-building initiatives on digital safety and security for Oxfam’s CSO networks.
At the regional and global levels, DRN remained actively engaged with the Digital Accountability Collective South Asia (DACSA) and continued its collaboration with OONI to monitor internet censorship and strengthen community-based documentation efforts. During the year, DRN also participated in several regional and global initiatives, including RightsCon 2025, the UN Business and Human Rights Summit, and APrIGF. | | D. Defending Digital Freedom and Press Freedom
As part of its overarching mandate, DRN remained firmly committed to protecting digital freedom and press freedom. Under this mandate, DRN actively engaged in policy dialogue on the Mass Communication Council Bill and the Mass Communication Bill. DRN published policy briefs and formal submissions on these bills and held consultations and dialogues with policymakers.
In parallel, DRN provided legal support to journalists and media houses facing legal action solely for carrying out their journalistic duties. In 2025, DRN supported 13 cases related to freedom of expression, offering assistance ranging from legal consultations to courtroom representation. These cases reflected a broad spectrum of instances in which journalists and media outlets were targeted for their reporting.
To further strengthen this work, DRN is currently developing a Handbook on Digital Rights and Security, Information Integrity, and Election Reporting in collaboration with the Federation of Nepali Journalists. Through these combined efforts, DRN continued to defend freedom of expression and uphold press freedom in Nepal. | | | E. Knowledge products
1)Annual report on Digital Rights and Safety in Nepal 2025
DRN published its Annual Report on Digital Rights and Safety in Nepal 2025. The report offers an evidence-based analysis of Nepal’s digital rights landscape throughout 2025, examining key policy developments, legislative initiatives, judicial trends, and real-world challenges faced by journalists, activists, women, minorities, and youth. It is intended to serve as a resource for policymakers, researchers, civil society, and international partners, while also contributing to informed public discourse on digital governance in Nepal. | | | | 2) Policy Briefs
In 2025, DRN actively contributed to key policy processes, including the Social Media (Operation, Use and Regulation) Bill, providing analysis, recommendations, and feedback through submissions, policy briefs, consultations, and a national dialogue, with several suggestions reflected in later revisions. DRN also submitted expert analyses on the Draft AI Policy, Personal Data Protection Policy, and E-Governance Blueprint, highlighting gaps in accountability, transparency, human rights safeguards, and oversight, in collaboration with national and international stakeholders. Additionally, DRN coordinated a joint civil society report for Nepal’s Fourth Cycle UPR and produced legal and human rights analyses of the National Intelligence Bill 2082 and the IT and Cybersecurity Bill, raising concerns on surveillance, privacy, due process, and institutional overreach. |  | | | 3) Newsletter and infographics In 2025, DRN published 52 weekly newsletters, continuing an effort that began in 2022. With this, Digital Rights Weekly reached its 186th edition. These newsletters highlighted key digital rights issues, laws, and policy developments, while also sharing ICT-related opportunities, DRN’s engagements, and ongoing advocacy efforts.
DRN produced advocacy materials, including infographics and videos, on issues such as content regulation laws, information integrity, cyber hygiene, digital divide and discrimination, technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), and the Universal Periodic Review process. These materials served as concise, accessible tools for raising public awareness of critical digital issues. | | | 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. | | | |
