Mint Quick Edit | Nepal’s app stir: Social media is seen as a civil right

4 months ago 7

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Cut citizens off from social media and they react as if the state has violated an inalienable liberty. (AFP)

Summary

A street agitation in Nepal against its ban of some platforms has left people dead and injured. This stir tells us something vital about how social media has come to be viewed.

Protests erupted in Nepal on Monday as countless young people descended on the streets against Kathmandu’s ban on several social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube and X, for not complying with registration requirements.

As reported, clashes with police left at least a dozen people dead and several others injured.

While this eruption may represent broad disaffection with Nepal’s government, it is notable for what it suggests: that access to social media is seen as a civil right.

Cut citizens off, and they react as if the state has violated an inalienable liberty. Even in the US, the fear of a popular backlash may have kept its administration from banning TikTok for not turning its ownership local, with the grace period for this having been extended more than once.

In India, this Chinese app was in sparse use back in 2020 when it was banned. But given how heavily platforms like X, Instagram and WhatsApp are used, it is inconceivable for these to be blocked. If this means we have millions stuck on foreign-run apps, it’s too late to do anything about it.

People clearly value their freedom of online speech and association. In that sense, it is a publicly assumed civil right.

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