Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn will secure accounts belonging to users from Afghanistan. This is done to keep Afghans from being targeted in the middle of the Taliban's rule.
Facebook's Head of Security Policy Nathaniel Gleicher said Facebook will introduce a one-click feature that will allow users in Afghanistan to lock their accounts, so that other people who are not friends on Facebook will not be able to view posts on their timeline or download their profile photos.
Facebook has also removed the option to view and search friend lists belonging to Facebook user accounts in Afghanistan to protect citizens from being targeted. Instagram users in Afghanistan will also see a pop-up notification containing instructions for locking their account.
Meanwhile, Twitter said it was working with civil society partners to provide support for groups in Afghanistan. They are also collaborating with the Internet Archive to expedite requests for deletion of archived tweets.
Twitter says that if users are unable to access an account that contains potentially harmful information, such as direct messages and followers, it will temporarily suspend the account until users can gain access and delete their content.
The social media company bearing the bird logo also said it would continue to monitor accounts linked to government organizations and may temporarily suspend some accounts until their owners provide additional information to confirm their identities.
Professional social network LinkedIn also outlines their steps to protect users in Afghanistan. This Microsoft-owned service will temporarily hide a user's connection in Afghanistan from being seen by other users.
All of these steps come after human rights groups feared the Taliban would use social media platforms to track the digital footprint of Afghans. The former captain of the Afghan women's soccer team even asked the athletes to delete their social media accounts and public identities.
Amnesty International has revealed that thousands of Afghans, including academics, journalists and human rights activists, are at risk of retaliation from the Taliban. They even provide guidance on how to erase digital footprints for Afghans, as well as how to escape biometric scans.