Nepal bans Telegram citing rise in online fraud and money laundering

The Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) issued a notice ordering all telecommunication service providers to block Telegram with immediate effect on Friday late afternoon.

"As the number of online frauds through the Telegram App operating in Nepal is continuously increasing, and it has been understood that there is involvement in serious crimes such as money laundering, all relevant telecommunication service providers have been directed through this notice to immediately block/close access to the Telegram App," the one-sentence notice reads.

The telecommunication regulatory body of the Himalayan nation didn't elaborate or mention the number of cases of online fraud and incidents of money laundering.

With this, Nepal is the latest country to ban the messaging app, which is known for its encrypted messaging facility that secures communication. Vietnam issued a similar order in May to close the messaging app.

Vietnam's Ministry of Science and Technology had cited Telegram channels in Vietnam as containing "poisonous and bad information" and had disseminated "antistate documents" and were involved in "reactionary activities."

Last year, during the hacking of F1 Soft, the dominant online transaction software widely used by Nepali banks, the police discovered the use of Telegram to communicate, which has since increased scrutiny in the Himalayan nation.

The Himalayan nation, with a population of less than 30 million, has an internet penetration rate of 16.5 million individuals using the internet in Nepal at the start of 2025, when online penetration stood at 55.8 per cent, as per government data.

With nearly one billion users worldwide, Telegram has been embroiled in controversies globally related to security and data breach concerns.

Telegram's Russian-born founder and chief executive, Pavel Durov, was detained at a Paris airport and later charged with several counts of failing to curb extremist and "terrorist" content on the app. He reportedly remains in France and is unable to leave without authorisation from the authorities.

The cloud-based, cross-platform messaging app is known for its speed, security, and focus on privacy. It allows users to send messages, photos, videos, and files of any size. Telegram offers both private and group conversations, with optional end-to-end encryption for "secret chats" and voice/video calls. (ANI)