Technology
Facebook blocks Taliban content in rush to wipe ‘terrorist’ propaganda from app – but CAN’T stop WhatsApp texts
FACEBOOK is scrambling to ban the Taliban from its platform amid the militant group’s swift takeover of Afghanistan.
The social media giant confirmed Tuesday that it is blocking Taliban-related content as it considers the group to be a “terrorist organisation”.
AFP or licensorsFacebook has blocked the Taliban and Taliban-related content[/caption]
APTaliban fighters take control of the presidential palace after the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country[/caption]
“The Taliban is sanctioned as a terrorist organization under US law and we have banned them from our services under our Dangerous Organization policies,” a Facebook spokesperson told the BBC.
“This means we remove accounts maintained by or on behalf of the Taliban and prohibit praise, support, and representation of them.”
The Taliban has used social media as a launching pad for propaganda and recruitment campaigns for years.
Its rapid takeover of Afghanistan raises fresh challenges for tech giants tasked with moderated content related to the Islamist group.
WHATSAPP LOOPHOLE
Facebook says that it has a dedicated team of Afghan experts to monitor and remove content related to the Islamist group.
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A spokesperson said the company does not make decisions about the recognition of national governments.
Instead, the social media giant follows the “authority of the international community”.
While Facebook said the ban applies to all of its platforms, Taliban-related content is still being spread on WhatsApp, according to reports.
A spokesperson told the BBC that it would take action against accounts on the app linked to the group.
TALIBAN TAKEOVER
The Taliban on Monday took control of Afghanistan – just weeks after the US withdrew troops from the war-torn country.
Fighters swarmed the capital Kabul after capturing a number of key cities in a lightning advance.
Twenty years after they were ejected by the US and its allies in the wake of 9/11 they stand on the brink of being back in power.
Taliban stormed Afghanistan’s Presidential Palace and declared they were “victorious” in gaining control of the country.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced he fled to “prevent a flood of bloodshed“.
The terrorists seized Bargram air base, which was the largest US military installation in the country, and released the 5,000 prisoners held there.
Foreign diplomats have fled the country.
Meanwhile, thousands of Afghans have mobbed Kabul’s airport trying to flee.
It ends two decades of occupation by foreign forces. US President Joe Biden has been criticised for his decision to pull troops out of the country.
GettyDesperate Afghans climb a wall at Kabul airport[/caption]
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In other news, MI5 chief Ken McCallum in May blasted Facebook for giving a “free pass” to terrorists and child abusers.
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