Taliban Presence on Social Media

Hern, A. (2021, August 18). Facebook no, Twitter yes: Which tech firms let the Taliban post? the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/18/how-are-tech-firms-dealing-with-taliban-social-media

According to this article, Facebook did not let the Taliban post on their platform but Twitter did. The author states that the weekend the Taliban was taking over Kabul was hectic for social media platforms as they tried to cope with the renewed attention brought to the organization as well as Taliban presence on the platforms. He Republicans expressed their outrage against Twitter which even after banning Trump from its platform continue to allow Taliban members access to their platform where they are promoting their agenda. Facebook banned the Taliban from its platform years ago and they have a secret list of designated hate organizations, and all users associated with them are banned from Facebook. Facebook says that even though Taliban has risen into power, the rules cannot be reversed, they remain to banned from the platform. On the other hand, Twitter has no policy against the Taliban and the official account of the groups spokesperson surpassed 300k followers after Kabul fall. In a statement, Twitter stated that it remains vigilant and that it is taking steps to ensure the voices of those on their platform who represent protected groups are safeguarded. The question has been why Twitter, which banned Trump from their platform, offer the Taliban continued access of the platform to further their agenda.

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