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   Nepal is the 8th country in 2025 to issue a social media ban  provoking an   
   over 8,000% spike in VPN sign-ups   
      
   Date:   
   Wed, 10 Sep 2025 14:41:51 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Nepal has now lifted the social media ban after at least 19 people have been   
   killed during protests against the social media ban, which came into force on   
   Thursday, September 4.   
      
   FULL STORY   
   ======================================================================   
      
   Nepal is just the latest in a long list of countries shutting down access to   
   social media platforms during times of political instability  and at least    
   the 8th nation to do so in 2025 so far.    
      
   Authorities in Nepal began enforcing a ban on all major social media apps and   
   websites starting from Thursday, September 4. 26 social media platforms were   
   impacted, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X.  The government   
   justified the ban by saying that these companies failed to comply with local   
   registration rules  TechCrunch reported  as well as the ban serving as a way   
   of tackling fake news, hate speech, and online fraud, according to the BBC .    
      
   However, the ban would then be lifted on Tuesday , September 9, and, as when   
   similar incidents have occurred elsewhere, Nepalese citizens have turned en   
   masse to the best VPN services to stay connected.    
      
   One of the most secure and reliable free VPN apps on the market, Proton VPN   
   recorded spikes in usage of over 8,000% across the country starting from   
   Thursday.    
      
   A company spokesperson told TechRadar that, at the time of writing, Proton    
   VPN usage still remains above baseline in Nepal, despite the rate of    
   downloads starting to decrease as the ban was loosened.   
      
   A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts all users' internet connections,   
   while masking their IP address for extra privacy and security.    
      
   The latter skill is exactly what's needed to be able to bypass otherwise   
   geo-blocked content online, such as a censored website, like in the case of   
   Nepal.    
      
   All that's needed is connecting to a VPN server based outside of Nepal (and   
   any other country enforcing similar restrictions) to trick the local internet   
   service provider (ISP) into granting access to censored sites.   
      
   Social media bans  a quick 2025 overview   
      
   Nepal is the 8th example in 2025 so far of a government opting to restrict   
   social media access as political tensions grow across the country, impacting   
   people's right to free speech and access to information.    
      
   Only this week, Turkey enforced a 24-hour blockade on all major social media   
   apps on Monday, September 8, throttling access to X, YouTube, Instagram,   
   Facebook, TikTok, and WhatsApp. That was at least the second time it happened   
   this year, with a similar ban occurring in March . Proton VPN registrations    
   in Indonesia spiked +1300% overnight amid reports of social media blocks   
   during anti-government protests.   
      
   Proton VPN downloads also skyrocketed in Indonesia at the end of August, with   
   spikes of "+1300% overnight amid reports of social media blocks during   
   anti-government protests," wrote Proton VPN's General Manager, David    
   Peterson, on a post on X .    
      
   Social media restrictions also occurred in 2025 across Kenya, Tanzania, Togo,   
   DR Congo , and Venezuela . The latter country even targeted VPN usage by   
   blocking over 20 VPN websites .    
      
   In 2024, Proton recorded spikes in VPN usage across 119 countries during    
   times of political crisis, over what experts at Access Now described as "the   
   worst year on record for internet freedoms ," yet again.   
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/nepal-is-the-8th-country-in   
   -2025-to-issue-a-social-media-ban-provoking-an-over-8-000-percent-spike-in-vpn   
   -sign-ups   
      
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