How the Taliban Turned Social Media Into a Tool for Control

 

"The Taliban, who first banned the internet to control Afghanistan, have turned social media into a powerful tool for overcoming opposition and broadcasting their messages. Now in complete control of the country, they are using thousands of Twitter accounts – some official and others anonymous – to placate Afghanistan’s fearful but increasingly tech-savvy urban base.

The Taliban were quick to see the Internet as a new tool of propaganda, an extension of written messages and  guerrilla radio stations. They became accustomed to restoring websites after leaving hosting services, and they experimented frequently, using techniques such as text-message explosions. One the report revealed How he used trending hashtags to scare voters during the 2019 election."

read report By Paul Mozur and Zia ur-Rehman

How the Taliban Turned Social Media Into a Tool for Control: