A knowledgeable source has stated that Google has temporarily closed an unspecified number of email accounts belonging to the Afghan government amid rising concerns about the digital data left behind by former officials and their international partners. In the weeks following the rapid takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban from the U.S.-backed government, reports have highlighted how the new rulers are exploiting biometric databases and Afghan payroll records to pursue their enemies.
In a statement on Friday, Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, did not confirm the closure of Afghan government accounts but mentioned that the company is monitoring the situation in Afghanistan and "taking temporary measures to secure the relevant accounts."
A former government employee told Reuters that the Taliban is seeking access to the emails of former officials. Last month, the employee stated that the Taliban had requested him to maintain the data on the servers of the ministry where he worked. He said, "If I do that, they will be able to access the data and official communications of the previous ministry leadership." He added that he did not comply with the request and has been in hiding since then. Reuters did not identify the man or his former ministry for safety reasons.
