Nepal cracks down on online abuse of flood survivors
The Nepali government is threatening legal action against individuals who post abusive or insensitive comments online toward flood survivors. This crackdown follows reports of victims being harassed while seeking information or criticizing the speed of government rescue efforts.
Why it matters
It addresses the intersection of digital harassment, government censorship, and the protection of vulnerable populations during natural disasters.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Authorities will "show no leniency" to people who "belittle" those who are suffering, the prime minister says
Nepal is cracking down on online abuse directed at survivors of last month's deadly floods, with Prime Minister Balendra Shah warning that authorities will "show no leniency" to people who "belittle" those who are suffering.
Some have taken to social media to appeal for information about their loved ones and to urge officials to step up search efforts, only to be hit by hostile comments.
"People who make unnecessary remarks, belittle those in pain or seek to cause them further suffering at this sensitive time are criminals," Shah wrote in a Facebook post.
Nepali police say they are looking into where these comments have originated from to identify addresses and phone numbers.
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