Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Google locks Afghan gov’t email accounts as Taliban seek retribution

Google locks Afghan gov’t email accounts as Taliban seek retribution

Days after the Taliban entered Kabul on Aug. 15, Google-owned YouTube said it would "terminate" any account it believes to be operated by the extremist group

Google has temporarily locked some Afghan government email accounts in an apparent attempt to head off the Taliban’s hunt for the identities of former officials who worked with the recently collapsed US-backed administration.

"In consultation with experts, we are continuously assessing the situation in Afghanistan. We are taking temporary actions to secure relevant accounts, as information continues to come in," a Google spokesperson said in a statement obtained by The Post.

It was not immediately clear how many accounts were affected by the tech giant’s action, which was first reported by Reuters.

The swiftness of the Afghan government’s fall at the hands of the Taliban last month has raised fears that the Islamic fundamentalists will take advantage of access to nearly two decades of official files to identify and take revenge on those who worked with and for the Kabul authorities, as well as other Western-backed institutions.

One former Afghan government employee told Reuters that the Taliban had asked him to preserve data held on servers belonging to the ministry he used to work for.

"If I do so, then they will get access to the data and official communications of the previous ministry leadership," said the man, who added that he did not comply and is now in hiding.

According to Reuters, approximately two dozen Afghan government departments used Google to handle official email correspondence — including the ministries of finance and industry, as well as the office of presidential protocol. Other agencies, including the ministry of foreign affairs and the presidential office itself, used Microsoft’s email software, the report said.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a question from The Post about what actions, if any, the company was taking to keep that data out of Taliban hands.

Days after the Taliban entered Kabul on Aug. 15, Google-owned YouTube said it would "terminate" any account it believes to be operated by the extremist group. By contrast, Twitter said it would allow Taliban accounts to remain on the service while "proactively" enforcing its rules against "glorification of violence, platform manipulation and spam."

Meanwhile, The Associated Press reported Friday that Western Union — which halted service after the militants entered Kabul — will resume transfers, which may help Afghans to receive cash from relatives living abroad. Most of Afghanistan’s foreign reserves, however, are held abroad and frozen while Western nations consider how to engage with the Taliban, putting pressure on the local currency.


There was no immediate comment from Western Union to the AP on the resumption of service.

The Taliban has sought to show a moderate face to the watching world as it consolidates control of Afghanistan, but their conciliatory statements have been belied by reports this week that the group’s members were carrying out "house-to-house executions" in Kabul and elsewhere in the country.

Last month, United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet warned of "summary executions" and strict restrictions on women in areas under Taliban control, while the family of an Afghan folk singer reported that their relative had been executed by the Taliban days after it declared "music is forbidden in Islam."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Thieves Steal Antonello da Messina Renaissance Masterpieces From Sicilian Museum
Google Launches Pixel 11 With Gemini AI at the Center of Its Hardware Strategy
Russia’s A7 Builds a State-Linked Payments Network Beyond Western Sanctions
AI’s Next Bottleneck Is Power, Not Just Nvidia Chips
Meta Raises AI Spending Target to as Much as $145bn Despite Pressure Over Returns
Danube Drought Exposes Nazi Wrecks and Pushes Central Europe’s Power System to the Brink
Joe Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones, Hunter Biden Says
Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile
Why Markets May Look Quiet in August After Big Tech Earnings
UK Drought Cuts Harvests and Raises Food-Security Fears
UFO: Pentagon Releases Video of Unidentified Object Tracked Over Middle East
Ukraine Tells Senate Republicans Its Drone War Offers a Blueprint for America
Weight-Loss Drug Boom Tests the Limits of Prescription Advertising Rules
Senate Scrutinises AI-Driven Personalised Pricing
Spain Seeks Mainland Transfers for 1,100 Children Stranded in Ceuta
Spain and Morocco Trade Blame After 72,000 Migrants Enter Ceuta
AI Is Remaking the US Economy, From GDP Growth to iPhone Prices
Europe’s Heat and Drought Are Now Disrupting Power, Shipping and Tourism
Europe’s Drying Rivers Trigger Power Cuts, Factory Shutdowns and Wildfire Emergencies
Record-Low Danube Forces Nuclear Cuts and Emergency Power Curbs
Danube Drought Forces Hungary’s Paks Nuclear Plant Into Full Shutdown
Ceuta Death Toll Rises as Spain and Europe Clash Over Border Response
Valued at $109 Million: F-35B Fighter Jet Crashes in Southern California
Record-Low Danube Exposes Probable Mammoth Remains in Bulgaria
US Says It Has Carried Out Heavy Strikes on Iran After Attempted Attacks on Its Forces
The AI User Nightmare: Private Claude Conversations Leaked to the Internet
Over 24 Hours in the Air: Qantas Airbus Completes Record-Breaking Test Flight
Massive Wildfires Ravage Southern Europe: Fatalities in Greece and Evacuations Across France, Spain, and Turkey
Nvidia Reportedly Takes Vast Texas Data-Centre Lease to Underwrite AI Expansion
FIFA’s Private-Investment Plan for World Cup Rights Draws European Revolt
Apple Briefly Crosses Five Trillion Dollar Valuation as Investors Retreat From AI Bets
Fresh Heatwave Threatens to Rekindle France’s Historic Wildfire Crisis
Following OpenAI's Cyberattack: 'Most Companies Still Do Not Understand What Is Coming'
OpenAI Sued After ChatGPT Allegedly Discouraged Emergency Care Before Near-Fatal Embolism
Miliband Sets Climate and International Law at Centre of UK Diplomacy
Czech Central Bank Governor Rejects Early Euro Entry and Rate-Cut Pressure
Trump Readies New Tariffs as Temporary Global Levy Nears Expiry
Vivienne Westwood Casts Cicciolina, 74, in Its New Autumn Campaign
Dejavu: Germany’s Military Expansion Reshapes Europe’s Strategic Balance With France
Morgan Stanley Builds a Wall Street Lead in AI Infrastructure Finance
High Prices Push Coffee Drinkers Toward Whole Beans and Home Brewing
Trump Draws Boos and Podium Scrutiny at Spain’s World Cup Triumph
Brilliant move: Péter Magyar Moves to Nominate Chess Grandmaster Judit Polgár as Hungary’s President
Spain Defeats Argentina in Extra Time to Win Second World Cup
Current AI Seeks to Build an Open Global AI Infrastructure Outside Big Tech Control
Germany’s Economic Malaise Reopens the Sunday Shopping Debate
Proposed U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Pact Could Permit Limited Uranium Enrichment Under International Safeguards
Netherlands Declares Water Shortage Emergency After Drought Pushes Rivers to Historic Lows
Why Kentucky Fried Chicken Became KFC—and Why the False Explanations Persist
Ukrainian Drones Strike Wildberries Warehouses Deep Inside Russia
×