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Updated August 18th, 2021 at 14:06 IST

Twitter to not ban Taliban from platform, says 'will remain vigilant over violations'

It is important to mention that Twitter hosts several accounts of Taliban leaders who boast of scores of followers on the social media platform. 

Reported by: Ananya Varma
Twitter
Image: AP/Unsplash | Image:self
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Micro-blogging site Twitter on Tuesday issued a statement over the Afghanistan crisis saying that it was constantly monitoring the situation and was 'vigilant' with regards to the content that was being shared on its platform. As social media and tech giants such as Facebook, WhatsApp and TikTok swiftly move to ban the Taliban and its supporters from using their platform, Twitter on the other hand has refrained from taking outright action against the militant group.

On being asked if Twitter would join Facebook, TikTok and other tech companies in banning the terror group, a spokesperson said in a statement it would “continue to proactively enforce” its rules on the “glorification of violence, platform manipulation and spam.”

The company added that the situation in Afghanistan is rapidly evolving and Twitter's first priority is to keep “people safe, and remain vigilant". “We're also witnessing people in the country using Twitter to seek help and assistance," the social media platform said. It added, “We will continue to proactively enforce our rules and review content that may violate Twitter Rules, specifically policies against the glorification of violence, platform manipulation and spam."

It is important to mention that Twitter hosts several accounts of Taliban leaders who boast of scores of followers on the platform. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid who has an active presence on Twitter enjoys more than 310K followers which are growing by the hour. Another spokesman, Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, has more than 63K followers. Both accounts have been gaining prominence for regularly tweeting about the capture of cities by the Taliban and sharing videos of press conferences by the group's leaders which have drawn hundreds of responses from supporters on Twitter.

Facebook bans Taliban

Unlike Twitter, Facebook has taken a hardline stance against the Taliban and has banned the Islamist fundamentalist group and its supporters from using its platforms. In a statement, the company said that it considers the group to be 'a terrorist organisation', according to a PTI report. The company added it has a dedicated team of Afghan experts to monitor and remove content linked to the insurgent group.

"The Taliban is sanctioned as a terrorist organisation under US law and we have banned them from our services under our Dangerous Organisation policies. This means we remove accounts maintained by or on behalf of the Taliban and prohibit praise, support, and representation of them," PTI quoted a Facebook spokesperson as saying. 

(With Agency Inputs)

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Published August 18th, 2021 at 14:06 IST

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