Facebook moves to block Taliban's WhatsApp accounts

[SAN FRANCISCO] Facebook said on Tuesday it was blocking WhatsApp accounts linked to the Taleban after the radical Islamic group seized control of Afghanistan and sought to use the messaging service to help it govern.

"The Taleban is sanctioned as a terrorist organisation under US law and we have banned them from our services under our Dangerous Organisation policies," a Facebook spokesperson told AFP.

The Facebook move shut down a WhatsApp hotline the Taleban had set up to receive complaints about violence and looting, according to the Financial Times.

A WhatsApp spokesperson said in an email to AFP that the company is required to follow US sanctions.

"This includes banning accounts that appear to represent themselves as official accounts of the Taleban. We're seeking more information from relevant US authorities given the evolving situation in Afghanistan," the company said.

"This means we remove accounts maintained by or on behalf of the Taleban and prohibit praise, support, and representation of them."

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The news comes with social media platforms facing pressure to block accounts used by the Taleban since the offensive which led to the takeover of the war-ravaged country.

Facebook said it was using "a dedicated team of Afghanistan experts, who are native Dari and Pashto speakers and have knowledge of local context," to help guide policy.

"Our teams are closely monitoring this situation as it evolves. Facebook does not make decisions about the recognised governmentin any particular country but instead respects the authority of the international community in making these determinations," Facebook said.

A Taleban spokesman meanwhile criticised Facebook for blocking "freedom of speech" in the country as a result of the crackdown by the US firm.

At a news conference streamed online, the Taleban official responded to a question about freedom of expression by saying, "The question should be asked to those people who are claiming to be promoters of freedom of speech who do not allow publication of all information.. the Facebook company, this question should be asked to them."

AFP