WhatsApp keeps banning Taliban officials' accounts due to US sanctions, causing disruptions at the nascent government, which relies on the app for communication
The Taliban administration is stuck in a cat-and-mouse game with WhatsApp, which is off-limits to the nascent government because of U.S. sanctions. Twitter: @nytimes , @pstasiatech , @oviosu , @waheedwafa222 , @jeffrigsby2 , and @andreasharsono Twitter: @nytimes : WhatsApp had become a backbone of the Taliban's nascent government in Afghanistan. But now, the administration is stuck in a cat-and-mouse game with the messaging platform, which is off-limits to the government because of U.S. sanctions. https://www.nytimes.com/... Paul Triolo / @pstasiatech : But over the past two years, the Taliban's reliance on WhatsApp has become even more far-reaching as smartphone use has proliferated and 4G networks have improved across Afghanistan with the end of the U.S.-led war. https://www.nytimes.com/... Tayo Oviosu / @oviosu : Not to aid the Taliban, but as I read this article I kept wondering why they haven't moved to using @telegram 🤔 https://www.nytimes.com/... Abdul Waheed Wafa / @waheedwafa222 : This is an interesting story and it reminded me of the Former government lost the war when its Generals started to manage the war via WhatsApp. The Taliban Government Runs on WhatsApp. There's Just One Problem. https://www.nytimes.com/... Jeff Rigsby / @jeffrigsby2 : The WhatsApp ban on Taliban members can't be too well enforced, because I have some very senior people on there. But it's interesting that this article leads with an example of how the ban sometimes hinders the campaign against Daesh. Thread. https://www.nytimes.com/... Andreas Harsono / @andreasharsono : The United States has long criminalized any form of support for the Taliban. Consequently, WhatsApp scans group names, descriptions and group profile photos on the messaging app to identify users among the Taliban and block their accounts https://www.nytimes.com/... [image]