Kabul – Just a week after Afghanistan endured a nationwide internet and telecommunications blackout, the Taliban government has imposed sweeping restrictions on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).
According to sources at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, filters have been applied to limit “certain types of content,” though officials have not clarified what material is being targeted.
Reports from Kabul and other provinces suggest that videos on Facebook are no longer viewable, Instagram access is heavily restricted, and internet speeds have slowed to a crawl.
A Pattern of Digital Control
The restrictions follow a 48-hour blackout that paralyzed the country. Businesses were forced to shut down, flights were disrupted, and emergency services were severely hampered. The outage also deepened fears that Afghanistan is sliding into digital isolation under Taliban rule.
Cybersecurity watchdog NetBlocks confirmed that the new restrictions are intentional, noting that multiple providers have applied filters across the country. AFP correspondents reported that social media platforms remain intermittently accessible on smartphones, though with significant delays.
A government employee in Nangarhar province told the BBC that while he could open Facebook, photos and videos would not load. In Kandahar, a business owner said his fibre optic connection had been cut off entirely, leaving him reliant on slow mobile data.
“Prevention of Vice” as Justification
Though no official explanation has been issued for the latest restrictions, Taliban officials in Balkh province previously stated that internet access was being curtailed “for the prevention of vices.” This rationale echoes the group’s broader enforcement of its interpretation of Islamic Sharia law since retaking power in August 2021.
In recent months, the Taliban has banned women from most forms of employment, barred girls over the age of 12 from attending school, and ordered the removal of books authored by women from universities. The internet, many Afghan women say, has been their last lifeline to education, work opportunities, and the outside world.
Human Rights Watch has described the Taliban’s digital clampdown as a form of “gender apartheid,” warning that cutting women off from online spaces further erodes their ability to study, earn income, and connect with global networks.
Growing International Concern
International watchdogs and rights groups have condemned the Taliban’s escalating restrictions. NetBlocks noted that Afghanistan’s connectivity dropped to as low as 14% of normal levels during the blackout, a disruption it described as “consistent with intentional disconnection.”
At the beginning of 2025, around 13.2 million Afghans—roughly 30% of the population—had internet access, with 4 million active social media users. For many, especially women and young people, these platforms are not just tools of communication but essential avenues for education, business, and self-expression.
A Nation at Risk of Digital Isolation
The Taliban’s tightening control over digital spaces has drawn comparisons to authoritarian regimes that use internet blackouts and censorship to suppress dissent. Analysts warn that Afghanistan risks becoming one of the most digitally isolated countries in the world, alongside North Korea.
For ordinary Afghans, the consequences are immediate and personal. “The internet is very slow as a whole,” said one government worker. Another user lamented that his business had been crippled by the restrictions, with customers unable to reach him online.
For Afghan women, the stakes are even higher. “The internet was our only window to the world,” one Kabul resident told the BBC. “Now even that is being taken away.”
