Minister’s IT advisor spread false claim of Meta contact to justify social media ban
भदौ २०, २०८२ १७:१०
Kathmandu: It has been revealed that Shaligram Parajuli, IT advisor to Minister of Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung, spread ‘propaganda’ to build support for the government’s ban on social media. His claim on Thursday that a representative of Meta’s Singapore office had requested documents required for listing after the ban in Nepal has turned out to be mere propaganda.
Parajuli told ministry officials that he was approached for listing documents by Ruzan Sarwar, Public Policy Manager of Meta’s Singapore office. Based on this, the ministry’s spokesperson, Gajendra Kumar Thakur, informed the media that Meta’s Singapore office had asked Parajuli for documents, and that Meta had contacted the government.
At 5:56 p.m. on Thursday, Thakur told TechPana, “The representative of the Singapore-based office contacted the minister’s IT advisor and requested the necessary documents. After that, we officially sent the required details and documents to Meta’s Singapore representative.”
Several media outlets, including Online Khabar, NepalPress, Janaastha, Nagarik News, Khabarhub, and Shilapatra, carried Thakur’s statement. Nagarik News even published a report quoting Rabindra Prasad Paudyal, Information Officer at the Ministry of Communications. The others quoted Thakur directly.
However, in a follow-up call with TechPana at 11:08 a.m. on Friday, Thakur admitted that Meta had not contacted the ministry officially. Asked whether he had not earlier said Meta had inquired via the minister’s advisor, Thakur claimed the media had “misunderstood” his words.
“Meta has not contacted formally. That has not happened yet. The understanding was wrong,” he said. Thakur clarified that Meta representatives, including Sarwar, had already met Minister Gurung on April 16 while the ministry was pushing for social media listings. At that meeting, they had expressed dissatisfaction with provisions in the government’s directive to regulate social media.
Before that, in November 2023, the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), a group of global tech firms including Facebook and Google, had sent a letter to then Communications Minister Rekha Sharma, objecting that Nepal had issued directives without any consultation with social media companies. AIC warned that compliance would be difficult. This shows that Meta and other firms were already aware of the directive and its requirements.
A senior ministry official said it was inappropriate to publicize Parajuli’s informal claim after Thursday’s ban, when Meta already had full details about the listing. “This is an act of spreading confusion by using the ministry’s spokesperson on a matter not formally addressed,” the official told TechPana on condition of anonymity.
He added that an email sent to the minister’s advisor could not be considered official. “He is not an administrative authority. If the email had been sent to a ministry official or responsible person, it could be considered official. The ministry has already published the official email address for listing. That’s the process others are following,” the official said.
Meanwhile, Meta has already hired a local lawyer in Nepal to handle legal procedures. The lawyer told TechPana that Meta had all the information about the directive and did not need to inquire informally with the minister’s advisor.
“There is no need to ask informally. We have already provided Meta with all the details. Its representatives have met the minister and learned about the listing provisions. If Meta wants to list, it will contact the ministry officially, by email, and move forward,” the lawyer said.
Repeated calls and an SMS to advisor Parajuli went unanswered. Ministry officials believe he may have deliberately created this ‘propaganda’ to counter rising protests after the government banned 26 social media platforms at once on Thursday. Propaganda refers to spreading biased or misleading information to influence public opinion in favor of a certain idea, group, or cause.
पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: भदौ २०, २०८२ १७:१०
