Social media channels unveil curbs to prevent Taliban witch hunt

SMA NEWS – LONDON

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn released new security measures to protect users in Afghanistan after the lightning takeover of the country by the Taliban.

The tech companies said this week they had moved to secure the accounts of Afghan citizens to protect them against being targeted amid the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country.

Following recommendations from activists, journalists and civil society groups, the companies said users can now shield their posts from people they don’t know.

Facebook has temporarily removed the ability for people to view or search the friends lists of accounts in Afghanistan, its security policy head Nathaniel Gleicher tweeted on Thursday.

Users of Facebook-owned Instagram in Afghanistan will also receive notifications informing them of methods to protect their accounts.