In a concerted effort to combat digital extremism, over 100 social media accounts have been shuttered for endorsing sectarian conflict, activities against the state, terrorism, and anti-Islam sentiment, according to requests made by the capital police.
Law enforcement officials indicated that, to date, 106 accounts across platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have been disabled in cooperation with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
This action was initiated following an investigation by the Provisional of Violent Extremism Unit (PVE) of the capital police’s Counterterrorism Department (CTD), the police officers disclosed.
The PVE has been scrutinizing individual social media accounts implicated in a range of illegal activities, spanning from sectarianism and anti-state initiatives to terrorism and anti-Islam rhetoric.
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The police officials further revealed that the unit had recommended the suspension of 203 accounts — comprising 164 Twitter accounts, 38 Facebook profiles, and one YouTube channel. Of these, 106 have been successfully blocked so far.
To effect these account closures, the Counterterrorism Department forwarded individual requests to the FIA. Each request contained detailed information and supporting screenshots of the illicit activities associated with the respective accounts.
