3D printed Facebook and WhatsApp logos and keyboard buttons are placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 21, 2021. REUTERS FILE PHOTO
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook said Tuesday it was blocking after the radical Islamic group seized control of Afghanistan and sought to use the messaging service to help it govern.
“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 AFP.
The Facebook move shut down a WhatsApp hotline the Taliban 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.
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“This includes banning accounts that appear to represent themselves as official accounts of the Taliban. 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 Taliban and prohibit praise, support, and representation of them.”
