Skip to content
Hindi News, हिंदी समाचार, Samachar, Breaking News, Latest Khabar – Pratirodh

Hindi News, हिंदी समाचार, Samachar, Breaking News, Latest Khabar – Pratirodh

Primary Menu Hindi News, हिंदी समाचार, Samachar, Breaking News, Latest Khabar – Pratirodh

Hindi News, हिंदी समाचार, Samachar, Breaking News, Latest Khabar – Pratirodh

  • Home
  • Newswires
  • Politics & Society
  • The New Feudals
  • World View
  • Arts And Aesthetics
  • For The Record
  • About Us
  • Featured

Official Taliban Websites Go Offline, Reasons Unknown

Aug 21, 2021 | Pratirodh Bureau

Taliban fighters take control of the Afghan presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 16, 2021 (AP)

Taliban websites, that delivered the victorious insurgents’ official messages to Afghans and the world at large in five languages, went offline abruptly on Friday, indicating an effort to try to squelch them.

It is not immediately clear, though, why the sites in the Pashto, Urdu, Arabic, English and Dari languages went offline on Friday. They had been shielded by Cloudflare, a San Francisco-based content delivery network and denial-of-service protection provider.

Cloudflare has not responded to emails and phone calls seeking comment on the development, which was first reported by The Washington Post. The Cloudflare shield prevents the public from knowing who exactly hosts the sites.

Also on Friday, the popular encrypted messaging service WhatsApp removed a number of Taliban groups, according to Rita Katz, director of SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks online extremism.

The websites’ disappearance may just be temporary as the Taliban secures new hosting arrangements. But the reported removal of the WhatsApp groups followed the banning of Taliban accounts by Facebook, the service’s parent company, on Tuesday, after the US-backed Afghan government fell to the Taliban.

WhatsApp spokesperson Danielle Meister did not confirm the removal but referred The Associated Press to a statement the company issued earlier this week saying it was “obligated to adhere to US sanctions laws. This includes banning accounts that appear to represent themselves as official accounts of the Taliban”.

Katz said via email that she hoped the removal of the Taliban websites is just a first step to diminishing its online presence.

Unlike the Taliban of 20 years ago, that the US drove from power in Afghanistan, today’s Taliban is immensely media savvy and its online infrastructure “inspires and mobilizes” al-Qaida and other extremist Islamist factions, said Katz.

“Tech companies should do what they can to get ahead of this problem as soon as possible, as the group’s online presence is stoking a newly emboldened jihadi movement worldwide,” she added.

Twitter has not removed Taliban accounts and the group’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, has more than 300,000 followers there. The company indicated on Tuesday that as long as such accounts observe its rules — including not inciting or glorifying violence — they will remain up.

Like Facebook, Google’s YouTube considers the Taliban a terrorist organisation and prohibits it from operating accounts.

The Taliban is not on the US list of foreign terrorist organizations, but the US has imposed sanctions on it.

 

Tags: Afghanistan, online extremism, Pratirodh, The Taliban

Continue Reading

Previous Visas To Af Opinion Makers, Women Activists To Get Priority
Next Explainer: The Disappearing Glaciers Of The Himalayas

More Stories

  • Featured

‘Bidhuri Made Mockery Of PM’s Sabka Saath, Sabka Vishwas Remarks’

19 hours ago Pratirodh Bureau
  • Featured

Why This Indian State Has A Policy To Prioritise Pedestrians

22 hours ago Pratirodh Bureau
  • Featured

The Reasons Why Humans Cannot Trust AI

22 hours ago Pratirodh Bureau

Recent Posts

  • ‘Bidhuri Made Mockery Of PM’s Sabka Saath, Sabka Vishwas Remarks’
  • Why This Indian State Has A Policy To Prioritise Pedestrians
  • The Reasons Why Humans Cannot Trust AI
  • Is Pursuing The ‘Liberal Arts’ A Luxury Today?
  • The Curious Case Of The Killings In Canada
  • Shocking! Excavating Farmlands For Highways
  • Health Must Be Fast-Tracked For 2030
  • What Are ‘Planetary Boundaries’ & Why Should We Care?
  • Ramesh Reminds Shah Of Gujarat’s ‘Reality’
  • Why Are Intense Storms, Erratic Rainfall Events More Frequent Now?
  • Coal-fired Contradictions: Why Climate Action Needs A Circuit Breaker
  • Solar-Powered Looms Boost Income And Safety For Silk Weavers
  • ‘Govt Intention Something Else, Publicising Bill In View Of Polls’
  • A Probe Finds The UN Is Not Carbon Neutral
  • Empowering Teachers Is Key To A Sustainable Future
  • Genocide Fears In Sudan Attract Little Attention
  • Disaster Resilience In The Built Environment
  • “Unite And Overthrow Dictatorial Govt To Save Democracy”
  • NASA Report Finds No Evidence That UFOs Are Extraterrestrial
  • Why Locals Are Resisting Small Hydro Projects In Darjeeling

Search

Main Links

  • Home
  • Newswires
  • Politics & Society
  • The New Feudals
  • World View
  • Arts And Aesthetics
  • For The Record
  • About Us

Related Stroy

  • Featured

‘Bidhuri Made Mockery Of PM’s Sabka Saath, Sabka Vishwas Remarks’

19 hours ago Pratirodh Bureau
  • Featured

Why This Indian State Has A Policy To Prioritise Pedestrians

22 hours ago Pratirodh Bureau
  • Featured

The Reasons Why Humans Cannot Trust AI

22 hours ago Pratirodh Bureau
  • Featured

Is Pursuing The ‘Liberal Arts’ A Luxury Today?

23 hours ago Pratirodh Bureau
  • Featured

The Curious Case Of The Killings In Canada

2 days ago Shalini

Recent Posts

  • ‘Bidhuri Made Mockery Of PM’s Sabka Saath, Sabka Vishwas Remarks’
  • Why This Indian State Has A Policy To Prioritise Pedestrians
  • The Reasons Why Humans Cannot Trust AI
  • Is Pursuing The ‘Liberal Arts’ A Luxury Today?
  • The Curious Case Of The Killings In Canada
Copyright © All rights reserved. | CoverNews by AF themes.