Government sources within the Taliban administration have confirmed that restrictions have been implemented on certain social media platforms in Afghanistan. These measures affect popular sites including Facebook, Instagram, and X, with reports from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology indicating that specific content types are being filtered. The exact nature of the restricted content remains unclear.
Social media users in Kabul have reported an inability to view videos on Facebook, and access to Instagram has also been limited. These developments come shortly after a nationwide internet and telecommunications blackout that lasted for two days, causing significant disruption to businesses, flights, and emergency services.
The previous internet shutdown heightened concerns about the isolation of women and girls, whose rights have been increasingly curtailed since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Users across various provinces have reported intermittent access issues and slowdowns on social media platforms since Tuesday.
A 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 almost applied for the whole county and most provinces are covered now.”
While the Taliban government has not issued a formal explanation for these content restrictions, cybersecurity organizations have confirmed patterns indicating intentional limitations. Social media sites have been described as intermittently accessible on mobile data, with reports of extremely slow speeds.
Previously, a Taliban spokesperson in Balkh province mentioned that internet access was being blocked “for the prevention of vices.” The current restrictions continue a trend of the Taliban government imposing limitations in line with their interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
The internet has been a vital link to the outside world for Afghan women, particularly following the ban on girls over 12 attending school. Restrictions on women’s employment have also tightened, with books authored by women recently removed from universities.
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