Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Taliban to remain banned on Facebook, despite taking power in Afghanistan

Taliban to remain banned on Facebook, despite taking power in Afghanistan

Facebook has stated that the Taliban has been designated a Dangerous Organisation under its own policies, although it is not designated a terror organisation by the US state department, as it is under sanctions from the US treasury.

Facebook has confirmed to Sky News that the Taliban will continue to be banned from operating Afghan government accounts on its platforms.

The militant group, which is considered a Dangerous Organisation under Facebook's policies, has in recent days swept to power in Afghanistan following the US withdrawal from the country.

The Taliban is not sanctioned as a terrorist organisation by the US State Department, nor is it proscribed by the UK or EU, although it has historically been sanctioned by Canada, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates.

However the organisation is considered a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity by the US Treasury department, which means financial transactions with the group are prohibited.

It is not clear whether this designation will be upheld nor if Facebook could legitimately refuse the Taliban a governmental presence if its control of Afghanistan becomes internationally recognised.

"The Taliban is sanctioned as a terrorist organisation under US law and we have banned them from our services under our Dangerous Organisation policies," a Facebook spokesperson told Sky News.

The Taliban is not included on the State Department's list of sanctioned terrorist organisations, although Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, a separate organisation, is listed.

However the US Treasury has sanctioned the organisation as an SDGT entity which means that "any transaction or dealing by US persons or within the US... is prohibited" including "any contribution of funds, goods, or services".

How online is the Taliban?


Despite the low economic development of Afghanistan and the Taliban's ideological goal of strictly replicating the conditions of seventh-century Arabia, the organisation has historically been very active on the internet.


The Taliban launched its first website in 1998, according to Dr Neil Aggarwal, a cultural psychiatrist at Columbia University and author of the academic book The Taliban's Virtual Emirate.

Dr Aggarwal's book explains how the organisation's online presence has historically targeted different audiences within its sphere of influence.

This includes using multimedia content that differs across multiple languages, including English and Arabic for international audiences, Dari and Pashto for domestic ones, and Urdu as a regional intermediary.

The academic assesses that the Taliban's online communications, especially those directed at its domestic audience, have primarily been designed "to compete with the Afghan government" so the group "can be seen as a viable political alternative".


Facebook explained that its Dangerous Organisation designation "means we remove accounts maintained by or on behalf of the Taliban and prohibit praise, support, and representation of them".

The spokesperson said a dedicated team of Afghanistan experts "who are native Dari and Pashto speakers and have knowledge of local context" are monitoring developments.

"Facebook does not make decisions about the recognised government in any particular country but instead respects the authority of the international community in making these determinations.

"Regardless of who holds power, we will take the appropriate action against accounts and content that breaks our rules," the spokesperson added.

An account belonging to the Taliban, known by the supposed pseudonym Zabihullah Mujahid, has been active on Twitter since 2017.

The group launched an official YouTube channel called Istiqlal Media in 2009 although this channel has since been removed.

A spokesperson for Google did not respond to Sky News' enquiries about the company's policies towards the group.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
×