Hafizullah MaroofBBC Afghan and
Doug Faulkner
Restrictions have been placed on content on some social media platforms in Afghanistan, Taliban government sources told BBC Afghan.
Filters have been applied to restrict certain types of content on sites including Facebook, Instagram and X, the sources at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology said.
It is not clear exactly what sort of posts are subject to filtering. Some social media users in Kabul told the BBC that videos on their Facebook accounts are no longer viewable, while access to Instagram has also been restricted.
These restrictions on social media content come a week after internet and telecommunications services were cut off across the country for two days.
The move caused widespread problems for citizens and its end was greeted with celebration.
The 48-hour blackout disrupted businesses and flights, limited access to emergency services and raised fears about further isolating women and girls whose rights have been severely eroded since the hardline Islamist group swept back to power in 2021.
Social media users in Afghanistan have been complaining about limited access to different platforms in various provinces since Tuesday.
A Taliban government source said: “Some sort of controls have been applied to restrict certain types of content on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and X.
“We hope this time there wouldn’t be any full ban on internet.
“The filtering is almost applied for the whole county and most provinces are covered now.”
There is no formal explanation from Taliban government officials for the restrictions.
Cybersecurity organisation NetBlocks said “restrictions are now confirmed on multiple providers, the pattern shows an intentional restriction”. Social sites have been intermittently accessible on smartphones, according to news agency AFP.
A man who works in a government office in eastern Nangarhar province told the BBC he could open Facebook but could not see pictures or play videos.
He said the “internet is very slow as a whole”.
Another user in southern Kandahar province, who runs a private business, said his fibre optic internet had been cut off since Tuesday but mobile phone data was working, with Facebook and Instagram being “severely slow”.
The Taliban government has not given an explanation for the total shutdown last week. However, last month, a spokesperson for the Taliban governor in the northern province of Balkh said internet access was being blocked “for the prevention of vices”.
Since returning to power, the Taliban have imposed numerous restrictions in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
Afghan women have told the BBC that the internet was a lifeline to the outside world since the Taliban banned girls over the age of 12 from receiving an education.
Women’s job options have also been severely restricted and in September, books written by women were removed from universities.
