WhatsApp and Telegram will not be blocked in Afghanistan, says spokesman

The messaging apps will continue to operate in the country

Telegram is much smaller than WhatsApp, but growing quickly (REUTERS/Thomas White)

WhatsApp and Telegram will not be banned in Afghanistan, a government spokesman has said.

The two popular messaging apps will continue working in the country, despite their status in Afghanistan being thrown into doubt over recent days.

A letter from Afghanistan’s telecoms regulator, calling for Internet service providers to block the two apps “without delay”, was circulated on social media platforms last week.

WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, has more than a billion users worldwide.

Telegram is a much smaller but fast-growing instant messaging service that is popular in a number of countries including Afghanistan.

“Government of Afghanistan isn’t going to ban any social media platforms. WhatsApp and Telegram to continue operating in Afghanistan,” Javid Faisal, deputy spokesman to government Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah wrote on Twitter.

The acting minister for telecommunications said last week that the telecoms regulator had been ordered to put a gradual block on the services to improve their functioning after complaints had been received from consumers.

Afghan media have reported that Afghanistan’s National Directorate for Security (NDS) wanted the ban to stop the Taliban and other insurgent groups from using encrypted messages. The NDS has not commented.

Throughout the controversy, the messaging platforms appeared to have continued to function normally in Afghanistan.

The episode, which attracted criticism from civil rights groups and furious comments on social media, underlined the importance Internet and mobile services of all kinds have gained in Afghanistan, notably among government officials themselves.

Additional reporting by Reuters