A group of civil society organisations working on democracy, press freedom, and digital rights has expressed concern about growing cybersecurity threats and the spread of misinformation ahead of elections scheduled for March 5, warning that these pose a major challenge to free and fair polls.

Issuing a joint press release on Saturday, the organisations warned that the three days before the vote could turn most sensitive, considering the misinformation, disinformation and manipulation.

Citing that organised campaigns spreading false and misleading information during this critical period could cause irreparable damage to electoral credibility, social harmony and public trust, the civil society groups have cautioned against the risk of Nepal’s election being used as a “testing ground” for misinformation and information manipulation.

The right advocacy groups appreciated the commitment of the Election Commission and civil society organisations to address the issues and have proposed the establishment of shared mechanisms such as a “misinformation dashboard” for editors and journalists, along with collaboration among media outlets to rapidly and factually debunk false and misleading content in the public domain.

The statement issued by 20 organisations highlighted the growing influence of social media content creators on public opinion, calling on the election body and civil society to promote responsible information sharing and ensure accountability through clear and transparent initiatives.

The organisations cautioned print and online media publishers and editors against practising self-censorship due to pressure, threats or fear, including through so-called “unfollow campaigns”, stating that such practices undermine journalistic ethics and democratic responsibility.

The statement was jointly issued by 20 organisations, including Digital Rights Nepal, Freedom Forum Nepal, Open Internet Nepal, Media Action Nepal, Accountability Lab Nepal, Nepal Voter Rights Forum, Childsafenet and Youth Innovation Lab, among others.