Flood Reporting, Digital Footprints and the Right to Be Forgotten
Following the Bhotekoshi flood on 26 August 2026, photographs and videos from affected areas have been widely circulated online. While individuals, organizations, volunteers, and media outlets have documented rescue, relief, and community conditions, many images also show flood survivors, including children, in highly vulnerable or distressed situations.
Disaster documentation serves an important public interest by informing the public, mobilizing relief, and highlighting community needs. However, repeated online circulation raises concerns about privacy, dignity, consent, and permanent digital footprints. Once published, images and videos can be copied, downloaded, reposted, or archived beyond their original context, potentially remaining part of an individual’s digital identity long after the crisis. These concerns are particularly serious for children, who may not understand or consent to the long-term consequences of having their images and personal circumstances publicly available. Images depicting children in distress, displacement, or dependence on relief may create lasting psychological, social, and privacy risks.
This also highlights the importance of the right to be forgotten, meaning meaningful avenues to remove or restrict personal information that is no longer necessary, relevant, or appropriate to remain publicly accessible. In disaster situations, temporary vulnerability should not become a permanent, searchable record simply because it was documented during a crisis.
The National Child Rights Council and Press Council Nepal have urged the public, media, journalists, and social media users not to publish or circulate photographs and videos of children affected by the floods, particularly content revealing their identities or portraying them in vulnerable or helpless situations. Both Councils have emphasized that disaster reporting and content sharing should follow child-friendly media guidelines and codes of conduct, ensuring that rescue and relief coverage does not cause immediate or long-term harm to children.
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Mis/Disinformation Continues Amid Bhote Koshi Flood
Mis/disinformation continues to spread widely on social media following the Bhotekoshi flood, with old disaster footage, AI-generated and fabricated videos, and unverified claims about victims and rescue operations being presented as current events. Some AI-generated videos have misused the name of the Nepali Army and portrayed fabricated rescue operations, while several viral videos claiming to show children affected by the flood were found to be old footage from Vietnam. Similarly, a video claimed to show a building collapsing during the Nepal floods was found to be from Jammu and Kashmir, India. Such misleading content can create panic, exploit the concerns of families searching for missing relatives, and divert attention from genuine rescue and relief efforts. The Press Council Nepal is monitoring such content and has instructed relevant parties to remove or correct misleading materials, while urging media outlets and journalists to verify information and avoid using old, unrelated, or AI-generated footage when reporting on disasters.20 Satellite Phones Deployed in Flood-Affected Areas
The Nepal Telecommunications Authority has received 20 satellite phones from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to restore communication in flood-affected and remote areas of Rasuwa. As they connect directly to satellites, the devices can enable communication without relying on terrestrial mobile towers, making them useful in areas where telecom infrastructure has been damaged or is unavailable.Man Arrested for Creating Fake Relief Fund Statement
Police have arrested a man for allegedly using ChatGPT to create a fake eSewa transaction statement claiming a large donation to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund. He allegedly shared the fabricated statement on social media displaying his personal QR code, and urging others to donate to flood victims through his account. Police said the act spread misinformation and was used to facilitate a scam. Further investigation is underway, and authorities have urged the public to remain cautious of online scams during disasters.
Nepal Telecom Restored Mobile Services in Flood-Affected Areas
Nepal Telecom has restored mobile and internet services in all flood-affected areas of Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading. The floods disrupted services at 83 of the 120 Nepal Telecom sites in these districts, while three sites, Timure, Chilime Khola, and Trishuli 3 ‘B’, were completely damaged. Services were progressively restored between August 27 and August 31. By August 29, 93 of the 120 affected sites were operational, followed by the restoration of additional sites, including the Rasuwa Border BTS near the Nepal-China border. The Rasuwa Border site restored connectivity along the border, Timure, the Rasuwa Border corridor, and the Syafrubesi–Bhotekoshi corridor, supporting relief and rescue operations in the affected areas.
Official Portal for Disaster Relief Donations Launched
Following a rise in scams involving fake QR codes and personal accounts, the government has launched donate.gov.np for collecting contributions to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund. The portal allows donors in Nepal and abroad to contribute securely using cards, mobile banking, ConnectIPS, eSewa, UPI, and UnionPay, helping prevent fraudulent fundraising.
Ncell Faces New Restrictions on Asset Transfers
With less than three years remaining on its 25-year license, Ncell has been directed to obtain prior approval from the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) before selling, transferring, mortgaging, or pledging its assets. The NTA has also instructed Ncell to submit an action plan for transferring its assets to the government within the stipulated period. Any asset transfer made in violation of the applicable regulations may be declared null and void. Ncell’s current license, issued on 2004 September 1, is set to expire on 2029 August 31.
Supreme Court Petition Seeks Right to Record Police in Public
A public-interest writ petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking to allow citizens to audio or video record police officers performing their duties in public places. The petition argues that police obstruction, confiscation of devices, deletion of recordings, or threats against citizens may violate constitutional rights to freedom of expression, information, and communication. It asks the court to clarify that peaceful and lawful recording should not require prior permission where no law prohibits it.
Nepal Unable to Accept Starlink’s Free Disaster Aid
Nepal has been unable to accept Starlink’s offer of free satellite internet services and equipment for flood- and landslide-affected areas due to unresolved legal requirements and geopolitical sensitivities. Starlink had offered to provide connectivity for rescue teams, medical workers, and affected families once the necessary government approvals were granted. However, according to Nepal’s disaster management officials, domestic legal restrictions and the geopolitical environment have hindered the provision of such humanitarian assistance. Nepal has yet to resolve the longstanding legal debate over authorizing Starlink’s operation, meaning the service is not currently legally permitted. In addition, China is reportedly not supportive of operating the U.S. satellite system in the sensitive Rasuwa area bordering China.
SC Introduces Guidelines for Live Streaming Court Proceedings
The Supreme Court of Nepal has issued the “Guideline on Management and Operation of Live Streaming of Court Hearings, 2026” for the first time, aiming to make judicial proceedings more modern, transparent, and accountable. The guideline sets criteria for which cases may be livestreamed and how the content should be managed and used.
Priority may be given to cases involving constitutional interpretation, public interest, fundamental rights, state policies, judicial education, and legal development. However, the decision to livestream remains with the concerned bench. Certain sensitive cases, including sexual violence, child sexual abuse, human trafficking, juvenile justice, family and marital disputes, mental health matters, and cases involving national security or confidential government information, are excluded from live streaming. |
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Disclaimer: Digital Rights Weekly is a weekly publication that curates and analyses news and developments on digital rights and ICT issues, primarily based on media monitoring and publicly available sources. The inclusion of any report or reference does not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Digital Rights Nepal (DRN), unless mentioned explicitly otherwise. AI assistance may have been used solely to improve language, grammar, and readability.
Digital Rights Nepal (DRN) is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to promoting and protecting digital rights in Nepal, including freedom of expression and association online, privacy, access to information, internet governance, AI governance, and cyber laws, policies, and security.
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