The Fall of Kabul: When Platforms Enable Propaganda

Influential research. Trusted analysis.

Far from operating in the shadows, Taliban militants use WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook and Telegram to communicate with audiences, including journalists and Afghans. While Kalashnikovs and bombs remain the primary weapons of terror in Afghanistan, in war, controlling the message — or propaganda — is crucial, and smartphones are the new tool. As Marie Lamensch writes, social media companies face an increasingly urgent ethical dilemma about the use of their platforms by Taliban officials and supporters.

Earlier this month, Facebook cuff off academic researchers’ access to data after they used a browser extension to research Facebook’s advertisements. Facebook’s seemingly arbitrary action spurred a wave of commentary and outcry, and a rebuke from the Federal Trade Commission. Heidi Tworek outlines the many questions this case raises and the issues surrounding researcher access to corporate (and other) archives in the digital age.

Amid a federal election campaign, all major Canadian political parties are running on promises to address gender-based inequities widened by the COVID-19 pandemic. But, as Ashley Csanady reports, they are silent on the rise of technology-facilitated violence and the global challenge it presents. Csanady spoke to CIGI expert Suzie Dunn about why it’s important for Canadian politicians and institutions to look beyond the country’s borders when making broad promises to end gender-based violence.
Canadians Deserve to Hear How Parties Will Keep Them Safe

Today, security threats via digital infrastructure and climate directly affect Canadians’ lives. In this recent opinion in The Globe and Mail (subscription required), Wesley Wark and Aaron Shull write that our political parties and leaders need to recognize that planning for national security is central to governance — and to cement their contract with voters by explaining their plans to keep Canadians safe.

Sep. 6 to Sep. 8 – 9:00 a.m. EDT (UTC–04:00): The 2021 United Nations University WIDER Development Conference will take place virtually from September 6 to 8. The three-day conference provides a platform for sharing knowledge on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in different regions across the Global South, with the aim of connecting research and policy communities around the world to discuss how to move forward.

CIGI President Rohinton P. Medhora will participate in the closing panel chaired by Kunal Sen, “How Is COVID-19 Changing Development?” alongside fellow panellists David Hulme, Fatima Denton and Martha Chen.

You can find out more about the conference sessions and register to attend here.
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