Kathmandu, May 5 -- Nine days after Minister for Communication and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung warned American tech giant Meta of a nationwide ban for failing to register in the country, no such action has followed. But the tension remains.

Citizens and civil society are uncertain about the future of Meta-owned social media platforms in Nepal.

On April 25, Minister Gurung issued a seven-day ultimatum to Meta (the parent company of Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram), threatening to block its platforms unless the company registered.

Speaking at a Right to Information interaction hosted by the National Information Commission, Gurung warned of strict enforcement. The deadline passed on May 2 without a ban or any u...