Afghanistan: Taliban-Related Content Banned On Facebook, Instagram And WhatsApp
The Taliban, as well as any anything that promotes it, has been banned from Facebook’s main platform, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
The social media behemoth informed CNBC on Tuesday that it believes the Afghan group, which has for years utilized social media platforms to spread its views, to be a terrorist organization.
Facebook claims to have a specialized team of content moderators who monitor and remove Taliban-related posts, pictures, videos, and other content.
Over the weekend, the Islamic terrorist organization seized control of Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, as well as the Presidential Palace. Following President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan in April, the Taliban made significant battlefield gains, and the rebels now control nearly the whole country.
A Facebook spokesperson told CNBC: “The Taliban is sanctioned as a terrorist organization under U.S. law and we have banned them from our services under our Dangerous Organization policies.”
Facebook said this means it will remove accounts that are maintained by or on behalf of the Taliban, as well as those that praise, support and represent them.
“We also have a dedicated team of Afghanistan experts, who are native Dari and Pashto speakers and have knowledge of local context, helping to identify and alert us to emerging issues on the platform,” the Facebook spokesperson said.
Facebook said it does not decide whether it should recognize national governments. Instead, it follows the “authority of the international community.”
