Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn secures accounts of Afghan citizens amid Taliban takeover

Facebook has temporarily removed the ability for people to view or search the friends’ lists of accounts in Afghanistan, its security policy head Nathaniel Gleicher tweeted on Thursday.

This week Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn said they had moved to secure the accounts of Afghan citizens to protect them against being targeted amid the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country.

Facebook has temporarily removed the ability for people to view or search the friends’ lists of accounts in Afghanistan, its security policy head Nathaniel Gleicher tweeted on Thursday.

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Gleicher also said the company had launched a “one-click tool” for users in Afghanistan to lock down their accounts, so people who are not their Facebook friends would be unable to see their timeline posts or share their profile photos.

Human rights groups have voiced concerns that the Taliban could use online platforms to track Afghans’ digital histories or social connections. Amnesty International said this week that thousands of Afghans, including academics, journalists, and human rights defenders, were at serious risk of Taliban reprisals.

The former captain of the Afghan women’s soccer team has also urged players to delete social media and erase their public identities.