According to people familiar with the matter, Google has temporarily closed an unknown number of Afghan government email accounts because of the traces of digital files left by former officials and their international partners.In the weeks when the Taliban quickly took over Afghanistan from a US-backed government, there were reports that the new government used biometrics and the Afghan wage database to track their enemies.
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In a statement on Friday, Alphabet’s Google company stated that it is closely monitoring the situation in Afghanistan and is taking active and temporary actions to ensure the security of related accounts. A former government employee revealed to the foreign media Businesshala that the Taliban were trying to obtain emails from former officials.
The employee said that at the end of last month, the Taliban asked him to save the data on the server of the department where he worked. The employee said: “If I do this, they can get data and official communications from the former ministerial leadership.” The employee said that he did not follow the Taliban’s requirements and then went into hiding. Fearing for his safety, Businesshala did not identify the man or his front staff.
Public mail exchange records show that more than 20 Afghan government agencies use Google servers to process official mail, including the Ministry of Finance, Industry, Higher Education, and Mining. According to records, the Afghan Presidential Protocol Office also uses Google services like some local government agencies. Commands to government databases and e-mail can provide information about former government employees, former ministers, government contractors, tribal allies, and foreign partners.
Mail exchanger records show that Microsoft’s (MSFT.O) e-mail service is also used by several Afghan government agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Presidential Palace. But it is unclear what measures (if any) the software company is taking to prevent these data from falling into the hands of the Taliban. Microsoft declined to comment.
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