The Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have imposed new restrictions on social media platforms, with government sources confirming that content on Facebook, Instagram, and X is now being filtered nationwide.
Officials from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology told BBC Afghan that controls had been applied to limit “certain types of content,” though they did not specify what categories were being targeted.
Users in Kabul said they could no longer view videos on Facebook, while access to Instagram had become increasingly difficult. Similar reports emerged from several provinces, where social media users complained of slow connections and limited access since Tuesday.
The new restrictions follow a two-day nationwide internet and telecommunications blackout last week, which severely disrupted daily life and sparked widespread frustration. The outage halted business operations, delayed flights, impeded emergency services, and deepened fears of further isolation—particularly for women and girls whose rights have been sharply curtailed since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
A source within the Taliban government told the BBC that filtering measures were now “almost applied across the whole country” but added: “We hope this time there wouldn’t be any full ban on internet.”
The authorities have not issued any official statement explaining the new controls. However, cybersecurity watchdog NetBlocks said restrictions had been “confirmed on multiple providers,” describing the pattern as an “intentional restriction.” AFP also reported intermittent access to social media platforms through mobile networks.
In eastern Nangarhar province, a government employee said he could open Facebook but could no longer view photos or play videos, adding that “the internet is very slow as a whole.” In southern Kandahar, a business owner said his fibre-optic connection had been cut since Tuesday, leaving him reliant on sluggish mobile data with Facebook and Instagram “barely usable.”
The Taliban have not clarified the reasons for last week’s total shutdown. In September, however, a spokesperson for the Taliban governor in northern Balkh province said that internet access was being blocked “to prevent vices.”
Since reclaiming power, the Taliban have enforced sweeping restrictions based on their interpretation of Islamic law. Women have borne the brunt of these measures: girls above the age of 12 are banned from schooling, most jobs are off-limits to women, and in September, books authored by women were removed from university libraries.
Many Afghan women told the BBC the internet remains their only connection to the outside world—a fragile link now increasingly under threat.
Source: BBC
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