- WhatsApp shut down the Taliban helpline in Kabul to report robberies and violence.
- A spokeswoman told Insider that WhatsApp shut it down to comply with U.S. sanctions against the Taliban.
- Facebook, the parent company of WhatsApp, bans Taliban and pro-Taliban content on all its platforms.
- For more stories, please visit Business Insider.
Facebook’s WhatsApp closed a helpline set up by the Taliban to encourage people to report robberies and violence. Financial Times First report.
The Financial Times reported that the Taliban began advertising for the WhatsApp helpline on Sunday. Capture the capital KabulHe took power in Afghanistan for the first time in 20 years.This Washington post It was reported on Sunday that the Taliban used WhatsApp to tell people in Kabul that “we are responsible for safety.”
Facebook announced on Tuesday that it Ban the Taliban on all its platforms According to its “dangerous organization” policy. It said it also prohibits support or praise of the organization.
A WhatsApp spokeswoman told Insider that the company closed its helpline to comply with U.S. laws.
“We are obligated to comply with US sanctions laws. This includes banning accounts that appear to represent official Taliban accounts,” she told Insider.
“In view of the constantly changing situation in Afghanistan, we are seeking more information from relevant US authorities,” she told Insider.
WhatsApp told the Financial Times that it is actively checking the names, descriptions and profile pictures of WhatsApp groups to prevent the Taliban from using it.
Facebook announced on Tuesday Deployed a team of “Afghan experts” Help it discover problems related to the Taliban on its platform.
Ashley Jackson, a former aid worker of the Red Cross and Oxfam, told the Financial Times that the cancellation of the Taliban helpline was just “grand sensation” and would not help the people of Kabul.
“If the Taliban suddenly cannot use WhatsApp, you are just isolating the Afghans and making it more difficult for them to communicate when they are already in a panic,” Jackson told the Financial Times. She added that the Taliban have long used similar helplines.
“I know it sounds unlikely to be really helpful, but in this very strange, fast-moving situation, civilians need all the resources they can get, and this is one of them,” she added.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Facebook suppresses freedom of speech in Afghanistan Passed a ban on the Taliban.
