Following orders from the Taliban’s secretive leader, Mullah Hibatullah, to restrict internet access, Play Store and App Store applications have stopped functioning on smartphones in Kabul and several provinces.
The reason for disabling these applications is to prevent the installation of VPNs on smartphones, ensuring people can no longer activate or use social media networks in Afghanistan.
Previously, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and other social media platforms had stopped working in Afghanistan, forcing people to install VPNs on their phones to access them.
This new restriction comes at a time when the Taliban are urging people to join their propaganda efforts during Pakistan’s bombings, creating a paradoxical situation.
A local source commented: “They have cut off the internet for people and then ask them to engage in online propaganda.
This is the strange paradox of the Taliban system”. The internet blackout has left Afghanistan almost completely cut off from the outside world,
with connectivity dropping to around 1% of normal levels, severely limiting public access to external communication.
