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Afghan Government Imposes New Social Media Restrictions
• Politics, Crime, social media restrictions, Afghanistan, Taliban, internet blackout, censorship, women's rights, Islamic Sharia law, echosphere.news, Afghan Government Imposes New Social Media Restrictions
The Taliban administration has initiated content restrictions on various social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, hampering access for users across Afghanistan.
Restrictions have been placed on content on some social media platforms in Afghanistan, Taliban government sources told BBC Afghan.
Filters have been applied to restrict certain types of content on sites including Facebook, Instagram, and X, the sources at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology said.
It is not clear exactly what sort of posts are subject to filtering. Some social media users in Kabul told the BBC that videos on their Facebook accounts are no longer viewable, while access to Instagram has also been restricted.
These restrictions on social media content come a week after internet and telecommunications services were cut off across the country for two days.
The move caused widespread problems for citizens and its end was greeted with celebration.
The 48-hour blackout disrupted businesses and flights, limited access to emergency services, and raised fears about further isolating women and girls whose rights have been severely eroded since the hardline Islamist group swept back to power in 2021.
Social media users in Afghanistan have been complaining about limited access to different platforms in various provinces since Tuesday.
A Taliban government source stated: Some sort of controls have been applied to restrict certain types of content on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and X. We hope this time there wouldn't be any full ban on internet.
The filtering is widespread and has affected most provinces, although there is no formal explanation from Taliban government officials for the restrictions.
Cybersecurity organization NetBlocks confirmed the restrictions affecting multiple providers, indicating an intentional limitation on access. Reports suggest intermittent accessibility of social sites on smartphones.
A government employee in eastern Nangarhar province shared that he could access Facebook but was unable to view pictures or play videos, citing overall slow internet speeds.
In southern Kandahar, a private business owner noted that while his fibre optic internet had been cut off since Tuesday, he could still use mobile data despite experiencing severe slowdowns on popular platforms.
Commenting on previous restrictions, a Taliban spokesperson indicated that internet access was blocked for the prevention of vices. Since regaining control in 2021, the Taliban has implemented severe restrictions aligned with their interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
Afghan women have highlighted that the internet serves as a crucial link to the outside world, especially as the Taliban has banned girls over the age of 12 from receiving an education. The limitations placed on women’s employment opportunities have further exacerbated the situation, with recent instances of books authored by women being removed from educational institutions.