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Posted on 07/10/2026 6:40:06 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have ordered government employees, judges, police and members of the military to stop using smartphones under a directive that took effect June 16. The order threatens violators with confiscation, destruction of their devices and punishment (which are not specified).
The use of what are known as feature phones — with calling and texting options but no touch screen and no photo or recording capabilities — is permitted.
The ban does not yet apply to private phone ownership by ordinary Afghan civilians. But in some provinces, restrictions have already moved beyond government offices and into hospitals, schools and universities, raising fears that the policy could become an early test for broader limits on public smartphone use.
The restrictions began as a verbal order from Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and were later formalized in a military court directive circulated to court heads, police commanders and intelligence chiefs across the country's eight administrative zones. The directive says anyone caught using a smartphone will have the device smashed and face "legal and sharia punishment." Exemptions require a written decree from Akhundzada himself. A separate court order covers "all officials of the military and civilian institutions, including judges."
The Taliban have also created monitoring lists recording employees' names, positions, workplaces, mobile carriers and phone numbers. Security officials have instructed members to destroy their own smartphones and submit proof on a designated form.
At Kabul University, the leadership council ordered a complete smartphone ban for professors, staff and students effective June 21. The decision was announced at an academic council meeting where members were not permitted to ask questions. At Herat University, notices posted at the entrance warn that no one may enter with a smartphone, and the restriction extends into student dormitories, where Wi-Fi service has also been suspended. In Baghlan province, students carrying smartphones have been turned away at the university gate.
In Kandahar, the provincial Education Department said its own ban on students and teachers was rooted in a "sharia perspective" and warned that smartphones risked "the destruction of the future generation." The Taliban's higher education minister has called smartphones "one of the three main enemies of Muslims" and last October restricted their use on university premises to only the most senior administrators.
The timing of the order followed protests in Herat in early June, after Taliban forces arrested women and girls accused of "improper hijab" — not meeting the dress code of covering the face and body in the prescribed manner and not wearing makeup. Witnesses said Taliban forces opened fire on demonstrators, killing at least one person. Video of the shooting spread online before the Taliban could contain it.
The Taliban administration did not respond to a request for comment.
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I’m actually surprised there is cell phone technology there in the first place. Maybe the US installed it during the 20 year long visit.
Who do they think they are, DemonRatz?
This has nothing to do with the usual social media ills; the Taliban is not worried about people chasing after likes on Reddit.
Taliban wants smartphones gone so nobody can record and post real-time or rapid proof of the atrocities they intend to commit.
https://ourworldindata.org/rise-of-social-media
In all of the world, even in Afghanistan, the Middle East, Iran, Syria, Libya, Tunisia, Ukraine, you have the power of “social media,” and nowhere is it just people kicking back having beers and going jogging, not even in the US.
It is an intel manipulated (Arab Spring / Ukraine election of Mr. Z), used for collection, highly censored (in those nations that can control such (China, Russia and yes the US) world. In this world there are just a few people like Mark Zuckerberg that are extremely biased BUT control the message in the West. They are so influential in the information domain that they can literally shut down a sitting president: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/07/trump-twitter-ban/ (turn him off like a switch)
People are mesmerized / entertained by the constant flow of bullshit, with idiotic video’s, but it serves in the background for collection, organization by groups, communications, dissemination of mass information, as well as perception management (perfect example Ukraine and this war - massive information operations).
—Collection: A treasure drove of information on people, their locations, facilities, their movements, associations, interests, how they look...
—Organization by groups: Used to allow dissident groups, militia’s etc. to organize, for example, in Ukraine we looked the other way even as flat out Nazi’s were using these platforms: https://time.com/5926750/azov-far-right-movement-facebook/
—Communications: Through social media you get a lot of the communications between assets and their handlers, often through something innocuous as Amazon.
—Perception management: You today actually have legions that write articles and pump them over the web pushing a narrative.
Case study (1): The Arab Spring was largely promoted and organized using social media:
https://www.iemed.org/publication/social-media-and-politics-and-the-arab-spring-moment/
https://www.washington.edu/news/2011/09/12/new-study-quantifies-use-of-social-media-in-arab-spring/
Case study (2): Mr. Z was elected in Ukraine and social media played an extremely important role in this. Those are facts. It is also a fact that especially outside the US, our social media and Google (an NSA creation) works hand in glove with the IC. You figure out the rest.
https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/events/the-zelensky-phenomenon-youth-social-media-and-democratic-dialogues-in-ukraine?division=public-affairs&eventslug=the-zelensky-phenomenon-youth-social-media-and-democratic-dialogues-in-ukraine Interestingly, while there have been seminars on this topic of social media’s influence on the election of Mr. Z, no one asks if possibly a search engine created by an intelligence agency that heavily manipulates searches, and a social media known for working with the US IC abroad may have been part of a greater campaign to get him elected.
Googles birth: https://qz.com/1145669/googles-true-origin-partly-lies-in-cia-and-nsa-research-grants-for-mass-surveillance
The Internet has been part of the “battle-space” for a long time.
—Why do you think we provided Iran with all those Star-link terminals, because we want them to have access to porn, or kick back with two beers as you claim?
—Why do you think Iran really tries to block a lot of the stuff, because of some porn video? Do you really think that’s the reason?
Afghanistan is no different. These apes are still in the stone-age and they’ll have a hard time controlling it, but they know what is going on even if they lack the technical means to mitigate the threat. The only answer they end up with is highly limiting and restricting its use...
This isn’t 1995 anymore. The Internet isn’t this free and open world and instead has become an orgy of corporate and government interests in the background while you watch a video kicking back with two beers. LOL
These guys even though mostly ignorant, know the power the Internet, smart phone, and satellite link have.
They lack any means to control this.
So they attempt to restrict its use.
Have you noticed, that the big guys with a robust intel service, that are major powers, all mimic each other on the WWW?
Google / Yandex / Baidu
Why do you think the Chinese flat out BLOCK Google in China? Because of porn?
Facebook / VKontakte / WeChat
Why does China block Facebook? More porn concerns?
If a country lets our social media, search engine, Internet in and they lack any means to control what we can do, could that pose a threat to them? What’s your take?
Sometime even muslim fanatics can be right about something!
They need to be replaced with pagers...
“”I’m actually surprised there is cell phone technology there in the first place.””
Me too!!
BACK TO THE CAVES.
So smart phones, toilet paper and soap now have the same classification by the Taliban? :^)
Look what you dif....you posted a very tunnel vision comment about how cell phones ancient are so bad....
Then post short and VERY LONG post with links
on defense of your point of view.
You want attention from thats why all the defense.
None of what you posted is remotely interesting .
You are A ATTENTION SEEKER
BE GONE
The Internet, Social Media, smart phone, are a major part of the Information Operations game (influencing perceptions). Social media has become the primary source where people get their news from. They are a major collection source for intelligence services. They are a major communications channel between assets and their handlers (i.e. spies). They are a major way that opposition groups communicate with their followers and organize.
If you are Russia or China and have firewalls, a robust Intel service, your own substitute platforms, a massive infrastructure that detects, counters, blocks, a threat.
Even Iran has “some” capabilities, thanks to China. https://www.reuters.com/article/business/exclusive-huawei-hid-business-operation-in-iran-after-reuters-reported-links-to-idUSKBN23A19B/ They also sold them a lot of stuff that helped the Iranian Intel service and caused many of those opposed to this regime to lose their lives.
Afghanistan has nothing.
For a nation like that, the ONLY remaining way to push away a vast Intel threat is to take a rock and smash the phone, satellite link or computer with it. They have to limit access and control the little they do require, for all else, enjoy your Bacha Bazi.
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