Google has quickly locked down some Afghan authorities e mail accounts because the Taliban is trying to entry the previous officers’ emails, Reuters reported.
Google mentioned Friday it was “taking temporary actions to secure relevant accounts,” however didn’t admit to a whole lockdown of the accounts.
“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 mentioned in a press release.
The particular person acquainted with the matter advised the outlet the accounts have been utterly locked down as the knowledge could possibly be used to trace down former authorities officers the group would hurt.
Around two dozen officers, with some within the ministries of finance, business, larger training and mines, used Google for official communications, based on Reuters, together with native governments and the workplace of the presidential protocol.
An worker of the previous authorities advised Reuters that the Taliban had requested him in late July to save lots of knowledge on the ministry by which he was previously employed for on servers the group may entry.
“If I do so, then they will get access to the data and official communications of the previous ministry leadership,” the worker mentioned, including that he’s now in hiding since he didn’t cooperate with the request.
Former authorities officers, activists, and susceptible teams worry reprisal because the Taliban has taken management of Kabul.
This comes regardless of the Taliban have tried to painting a extra average picture this time than after they final seized energy in 1996.
They have introduced amnesty to all, together with those that labored for western militaries or the Afghan authorities or police.
However, there have been stories that actuality on the bottom is kind of totally different. Days after seizing management, the Taliban brutally executed a police chief who headed the police in Bagdhis province in Herat.
In July, Taliban massacred 9 ethnic Hazara males after taking management of Afghanistan’s Ghazni province.
According to Reuters, commandeering authorities databases and emails may present details about workers of the previous administration, ex-ministers, authorities contractors, tribal allies and international companions.
“It would give a real wealth of information,” mentioned Chad Anderson, a safety researcher with web intelligence agency AreaTools.
“Just even having an employee list on a Google Sheet is a big problem,” he mentioned, citing stories of reprisals towards authorities employees.
