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Taliban Restricts Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat in Afghanistan

Taliban Restricts Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat in Afghanistan
Above: **Watermarked Getty Image. Kindly Replace** An Afghan vendor uses an iPad at his electronics shop in Kabul on Tuesday. Access to several social media sites was "intentionally restricted" in Afghanistan, an internet watchdog said on Wednesday. Image copyright: Wakil KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

The Taliban’s blackout of social media and internet access has plunged Afghanistan into digital isolation, silencing its people and suffocating its women. By severing their last link to education, work, and the outside world, the regime is erasing female voices, dismantling livelihoods, and deepening Afghanistan’s descent into repression and despair.

While silencing ordinary Afghans online, the Taliban eagerly exploit social media to polish their image and tighten control. Their leaders tweet propaganda, run YouTube-endorsed content, and fund loyal influencers — all while banning citizens’ voices. The regime’s crackdown on public access isn’t rejection of social media; it is its weaponization.

Metaculus Prediction

There is a 10% chance that the United States will recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.



© 2025 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.17.0

© 2025 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.17.0