In an unexpected turn of events, Taliban leader Anas Haqqani has waded into the social media war between Twitter and Threads, and stated that he prefers Elon Musk's platform due to its commitment to freedom of speech.
Taking to Twitter, Mr Haqqani expressed support for Mr Musk and commended Twitter for its free speech policies and the public nature and credibility it offers. The Taliban leader also compared the policies of both platforms and said that while Meta restricts people from freely sharing their views, Twitter allows everyone to communicate their message more openly and also has a wider audience.
"Twitter has two important advantages over other social media platforms. The first privilege is the freedom of speech. The second privilege is the public nature & credibility of Twitter. Twitter doesn't have an intolerant policy like Meta. Other platforms cannot replace it," Mr Haqqani Tweeted.
Notably, the Taliban maintains an active Twitter account with thousands of followers. They frequently update their 'Islamic Emirates Afg' account with posts in the Urdu language. The micro-blogging website enables the group to express themselves despite their many controversial and internationally condemned policies.
In contrast, Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, has designated the Taliban as a "Tier 1 designated terrorist organisation". Speaking to Newsweek, a Meta spokesperson stated that the company does not allow terrorist individuals, organisations or networks on its platform. "We assess these entities based on their behavior both online and offline, most significantly, their ties to violence," the company says in a policy statement.
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However, even as the Taliban leader endorses Twitter over Threads, Meta's new social media app has seen significant success since its launch. Threads surpassed 100 million signups in just five days and also dethroned ChatGPT as the fastest online platform to hit the milestone.
Twitter, on the other hand, has seen its traffic dip by some 11% compared to the same period last year, the New York Post reported. But despite reports of Threads' soaring popularity, Twitter CEO has claimed that Elon Musk-owned micro-blogging website "outdid" itself last week and even achieved its "largest usage day" since February.
