The Taliban’s curious love of SIM cards
restofworld.org
Afghanistan’s extremist rulers learned what all governments now know: SIM cards are worth every penny.

Ai generated TLDR:

The Taliban is distributing free SIM cards to Afghan refugees, likely to collect biometric data for tracking and surveillance purposes. SIM cards are valuable to governments for controlling communication networks and monitoring populations. Despite economic uncertainty, Afghanistan’s telecom industry has reported positive growth, with plans for building new towers. The Taliban’s regressive policies have barred women and girls from working, being educated, or visiting parks, and the value of tracking them is higher for the Taliban than the risk of giving them access to the world’s information. Internet shutdowns and government control over communication networks can cause economic and civilian harm, yet they are becoming increasingly common worldwide.

    • Chup@feddit.deEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      As you didn’t read the article:

      “This move seems driven by the government’s interest in collecting and centralizing biometric data for identification, tracking, and surveillance purposes,” he said. Omar agreed: “Probably to keep track of the refugees.”

      They hand out SIM cards to track those SIM cards. Using a certain messaging app on the phone or not doesn’t change SIM card tracking within the network.

      • dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        0·
        6 months ago

        Surveillance purposes

        Can include the contents of messages you’re sending. So if they’re using Signal, then at least they can see what they’re talking about.

        • cjf@feddit.ukEnglish
          0·
          6 months ago

          Would be awesome if they somehow ended up using signal as a means to facilitate remote learning. Mind you they’d have to be very careful and hide it from any potential snitches…

        • YMS@kbin.social
          0·
          6 months ago

          If you don’t want to communicate with non-Signal users and are always within range of a public or known Wifi network where ever you are in Afghanistan, then I guess this is fine.

          • stevedidwhat_infosec@infosec.pubEnglish
            0·
            6 months ago

            Right, so if you’re sending non-encrypted messages, you are indeed still sending non-encrypted messages, which defeats the whole purpose

  • Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    Fuck the Taliban, fuck religious extremism and the agendas it thinly masks. But I really came to say that looking at that photo I really feel like I am about to start a new runner video game playing as that kid in the top left.