8am: A number of the country’s citizens say the Taliban have created accounts on social media using girls’ names and photos, and use these accounts to promote the group and defend its conduct. According to them, these accounts tend to become more active whenever reports are published about oppression, rape, killing, corruption, and other Taliban actions, and their operators try to justify these matters or target critics of the Taliban. These citizens also say that, alongside creating fake accounts, Taliban intelligence and security bodies financially support hundreds of YouTube channels and, in some cases, direct the operators of these channels to reflect the views the Taliban wants promoted. Meanwhile, a former deputy minister of information and culture says the use of pseudonyms and fake accounts is part of the Taliban’s effort to continue what he calls “lying and deceiving the people.” According to him, this method is used to deny facts, censor information, and manipulate public opinion. Click here to read more (external link).