Afghanistan Acts to Ban WhatsApp, but Claims Move Is Temporary
- 7 years ago
Afghanistan Acts to Ban WhatsApp, but Claims Move Is Temporary
WhatsApp and Telegram are tools of free speech — if the government bans them, it means
that tomorrow they could stand against media in Afghanistan too." The apps were still available on Friday to customers of private telecom companies, which were said to be considering whether to comply with the government’s request.
Mr. Ayan said companies might find it harder to refuse the government’s request this time — in part
because a ban on the messaging apps could increase their revenue, with users forced to make phone calls or send text messages instead of using the free apps.
Ajmal Ayan, a former official with the telecoms regulatory authority, said the government had the legal right to ask service providers to suspend apps if there were "legitimate issues of national security." But Mr. Ayan noted
that if militants were the intended target of a security-related ban, they could easily find ways around it, like virtual private networks, or VPNs.
Government letters asking private telecommunications companies to suspend WhatsApp as well as Telegram,
another encrypted messaging app, began circulating in Afghanistan on social media on Thursday.
3, 2017
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Afghan government has moved to temporarily ban WhatsApp, the messaging app
that is popular among the country’s elite, angering some users and raising concerns about freedom of expression.
If the move had been made for security reasons, it would have included other messaging apps like Viber,
and it would not have been imposed for just 20 days, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the issue.
WhatsApp and Telegram are tools of free speech — if the government bans them, it means
that tomorrow they could stand against media in Afghanistan too." The apps were still available on Friday to customers of private telecom companies, which were said to be considering whether to comply with the government’s request.
Mr. Ayan said companies might find it harder to refuse the government’s request this time — in part
because a ban on the messaging apps could increase their revenue, with users forced to make phone calls or send text messages instead of using the free apps.
Ajmal Ayan, a former official with the telecoms regulatory authority, said the government had the legal right to ask service providers to suspend apps if there were "legitimate issues of national security." But Mr. Ayan noted
that if militants were the intended target of a security-related ban, they could easily find ways around it, like virtual private networks, or VPNs.
Government letters asking private telecommunications companies to suspend WhatsApp as well as Telegram,
another encrypted messaging app, began circulating in Afghanistan on social media on Thursday.
3, 2017
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Afghan government has moved to temporarily ban WhatsApp, the messaging app
that is popular among the country’s elite, angering some users and raising concerns about freedom of expression.
If the move had been made for security reasons, it would have included other messaging apps like Viber,
and it would not have been imposed for just 20 days, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the issue.