In the next three months, the Taliban will ban TikTok and the video game PUBG, the telecommunications department announced.
Since the Taliban took back control of Afghanistan in August 2021, it has cracked down on internet speech, banning millions of websites for “immorality.”
PUBG and TikTok are popular in Afghanistan, considering Afghans do not have much entertainment after the Taliban banned movies, music, and TV soaps. The ban of the two apps follows a ban of over 23 million websites that the Taliban said displayed “immoral content.”
According to Khaama Press, the ban was announced during a meeting with a representative from the Sharia law enforcement administration and representatives from the security sector.
Local media outlets reported that the Taliban has given internet service providers 90 days to ban the apps.
After it took power, the Taliban promised media freedom, women’s rights, and amnesty for government officials. However, it has not fulfilled those promises, and has been criticized by the international community for restricting social media and mainstream media, ordering women to stay at home, and prohibiting teenage girls from going to school.
