Social media giants Facebook have reportedly blocked Taliban-linked WhatsApp accounts after the Islamic group forcibly seized power in Afghanistan and sought to use the messaging service to help it rule.
“The Taliban are sanctioned as a terrorist organization by US law and we have denied them access to our services under our dangerous organization policies ”, a Facebook spokesperson told AFP.
According to the Financial Times, Facebook closed a WhatsApp hotline that the Taliban had set up to receive complaints of violence and looting. A spokesperson for WhatsApp said in an email to AFP that the company is required to follow US sanctions.
“This includes banning accounts that appear to pose as official Taliban accounts. We are seeking more information from the relevant US authorities given the evolution of the situation in Afghanistan“Said the company.
“This means that we remove accounts maintained by or on behalf of the Taliban and ban their praise, support and representation. “
Facebook said it uses “A dedicated team of experts from Afghanistan, who are native speakers of Dari and Pashto and have knowledge of the local context”, to help guide policy.
“Our teams are closely monitoring this situation as it evolves. Facebook does not make decisions about the recognized government in a particular country, but rather respects the authority of the international community to make those decisions.“Said Facebook.
A Taliban spokesperson criticized Facebook for blocking the ” freedom of expression ” in the country following the repression of the American firm.
In an online press conference, the Taliban official responded to a question about freedom of expression, saying: “The question should be asked of those who claim to be promoters of free speech and who do not allow all information to be released. Facebook business, they should be asked this question. “
–
