KABUL: Access to several social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, has been “intentionally restricted” in Afghanistan, an Internet watchdog said Wednesday, a week after a 48-hour telecommunications blackout in the country.
Social media sites have been intermittently accessible on smartphones in provinces across the country since Tuesday, AFP journalists reported, while Internet speed is significantly slower than normal.
“The restrictions are now confirmed on multiple providers, the pattern shows an intentional restriction,” said NetBlocks, a watchdog organization that monitors cybersecurity and Internet governance.
The disruption is “primarily impacting mobile with some fix-lines also affected.”
The Taliban government has not responded to requests for comment from AFP.
Confusion gripped Afghanistan last Monday when mobile phone service and the Internet went down without warning, freezing businesses and cutting people off from the rest of the world.
The massive blackout came weeks after the government began cutting high-speed Internet connections to some provinces to prevent “immorality,” on the orders of shadowy supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
At the time, Netblocks said the blackout “appears consistent with the intentional disconnection of service,” adding that connection slowed to around one percent of ordinary levels.
It is the first time since the Taliban government won their insurgency in 2021 and imposed a strict version of Islamic law that communications have been cut in the country.
The government has yet to comment on the blackout.
For Afghan girls and women in particular, the Internet is a lifeline in a country where they are banned from secondary schools, universities, gyms, parks and most work.
“I would feel really sad if they banned Instagram or other social media because it’s the only way I can connect with the world,” said 24-year-old Ghezal, who asked for only her first name to be used.
“These social media platforms are the main way I stay connected with my friends who live in other countries.”
At the beginning of 2025, 13.2 million people had access to the Internet in Afghanistan — around 30.5 percent of the population, according to the specialist website DataReportal.
Around 4.05 million people were using social media.
Afghan mobile access to Facebook, Instagram intentionally restricted: watchdog
https://arab.news/r2tcu
Afghan mobile access to Facebook, Instagram intentionally restricted: watchdog
- Netblocks said last week’s blackout “appears consistent with the intentional disconnection of service”
- Social media sites have been intermittently accessible on smartphones in provinces across the country since Tuesday, while Internet speed is significantly slower than normal
Let’s play: Netflix ups its game with slate of new releases in major sector push
- New games initially available in English in the Middle East but the streaming giant hints at plans to expand language support and localize content
- Arab News receives exclusive preview of new games available on mobile devices and, for first time, on TVs using a phone as controller
HELSINKI: Netflix launched a new slate of video games on Thursday, marking the streaming giant’s latest push into the growing global gaming market and signaling to rivals that its ambitions extend far beyond films and TV shows.
The new titles, some of which Arab News was given the chance to preview at Netflix’s games studio in Helsinki, Finland, are available both on mobile and, for the first time, on TVs.
“Starting today, you can play games on your TV, using your phone as a controller, no setup needed — it’s as easy as streaming your favorite shows,” said Alain Tascan, president of games at Netflix.
“And for those who love to play anywhere and everywhere, we’re bringing even more games to your phone with our own special Netflix touch.”
The lineup, arriving in the run-up to the festive season, includes party games such as Boggle Party; Party Crashers: Fool Your Friends; Pictionary: Game Night; Tetris Time Warp; and Lego Party, a collection of digital mini-games.
The platform is rolling out a selection of mobile-exclusive games for younger users, including Lego Duplo World; Barbie Color Creations, and Toca Boca Hair Salon 4.
It is also debuting a Puzzled app, featuring eight daily mini-games themed around some of its streaming TV hits, including “Emily in Paris,” “Stranger Things,” and “KPop Demon Hunters,” all of which are playable on the platform’s companion website, Tudum, as well as mobile devices.
Netflix’s games division was established in 2021 and has quickly amassed a library of more than 100 exclusive mobile and cloud-based titles. The platform views the games sector as a way to extend the user experience and leverage its original intellectual properties through expansions into new formats.
Tascan has been driving Netflix’s gaming push since joining the company in July 2024 from video games company Epic Games. He stressed that the streamer is not attempting to compete with consoles but instead offer a “Netflix twist” on gaming.
With the number of video gamers worldwide estimated at more than 3 billion, and young Arabs leading regional adoption, Netflix aims to leverage the popularity of its original intellectual properties, and a wide subscriber base, to provide users with unified entertainment — films, TV series and games — through a single platform.
Access to games will continue to be included in the general subscription fee, with no additional paywall planned, Netflix said.
Though the latest batch of games are available in English at launch, Netflix has indicated that its efforts to expand language support, including Arabic options, and to localize content will continue. This approach builds on the success of the Arabic TV shows and films it offers, as demonstrated by its collaboration with MBC’s Shahid platform, which offers a joint bundle of regional TV and gaming for Arab subscribers.
Further upcoming additions to Netflix’s gaming options include a diverse lineup of global favorites including the preschool educational minigames app Paw Patrol Academy; WWE 2K25: Netflix Edition; and the classic western-themed shooter Red Dead Redemption, developed with original creator Rockstar Games.
Netflix also announced the upcoming debut of Best Guess Live, its first real-time, mobile, daily game show, offering cash prizes. The platform said it is “coming soon,” though initially it will only be available in the US.
