Nepal’s crackdown on social media companies, which led to protests and police killing at least 19 people Monday, is part of a yearslong decline of internet freedoms around the world as even democracies seek to curtail online speech.

In a strategic move, Nepal’s Gen Z protesters turned to Bitchat — a Bluetooth-based messaging app that works without mobile data or Wi-Fi — ensuring that even if the government attempted to stifle the movement through an internet blackout,

Nepal is experiencing social media outages as the government enforces a ban on unregistered platforms. Users face access issues with Facebook and Instagram, while alternatives like WhatsApp and Twitter remain operational.

The Government of Nepal has ordered the Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) to block social media platforms operating in the country without formal registration.