Kabul: Social media restrictions have been enforced in Afghanistan as the Taliban government has applied filters to control content on major online platforms, according to sources at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
The filters have been designed to restrict certain types of posts on Facebook, Instagram and X, though officials have not clarified which categories are being targeted.
Several users in Kabul have reported that videos on their Facebook accounts are no longer accessible, while Instagram use has also been severely limited. These restrictions follow a two-day nationwide internet shutdown last week that affected telecommunications, businesses and air travel, creating significant disruptions across the country.
The 48-hour blackout had interrupted emergency services and raised fears of further isolation, especially among women and girls who rely heavily on online platforms for education and communication. Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the group has imposed strict social and digital controls in line with its interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
A government source said that some level of filtering has been applied in most provinces, expressing hope that there would not be a complete ban on internet access. Cybersecurity watchdog NetBlocks has confirmed intentional restrictions on multiple providers, stating that the pattern indicates deliberate limitations.
Residents across different provinces have experienced varying levels of disruption. A civil servant in Nangarhar province said that while Facebook could still open, videos and pictures were unavailable, and overall internet speed had slowed drastically. In Kandahar, a business owner reported that fibre optic connections were cut, leaving mobile data as the only option, albeit with extremely poor performance.
Although the Taliban have not provided an official explanation for the current restrictions, a previous statement from a provincial spokesperson in Balkh suggested that internet access had been blocked ‘for the prevention of vices’. Since then, women’s access to education, employment and even literature has continued to be restricted.
The latest social media restrictions are viewed by many as part of broader measures by the Taliban to monitor and limit digital freedom in Afghanistan, affecting communication, trade and access to global information.
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