A letter from the Taliban Communications Ministry’s Fibre Optic Development Directorate orders Afghan Telecom and several private operators, including Afghan Wireless, Roshan and Etisalat, to halt all fibre‑optic expansion, relocation, rerouting, construction, connections, installation, maintenance and repair work “until further notice.” The directive instructs the Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority and provincial telecom departments to monitor compliance and warns that companies breaking the ban will face “appropriate action.” The measure does not call for an immediate nationwide shutdown of internet services but suspends all physical work on fibre infrastructure indefinitely, and the ministry has not provided an explanation for the move.
The suspension adds to a pattern of restrictions since 2022-25: FTTH licences issued in 2022 had begun bringing fibre into homes, ATRA halted new fibre connections in Kabul in June, the Taliban banned fibre use in Balkh in 2025 and imposed a nationwide blackout for about 48 hours in September last year that disrupted banks, customs and some flights. Fibre remains central to Afghanistan’s international capacity - linked to Iran, Pakistan and Central Asian neighbours - and underpins mobile networks. Telecommunications experts warn the freeze could degrade network capacity and speeds, disrupt services, and deter future investment in the sector.
Summary generated by AI from the linked article. hn.today is not affiliated with Hacker News or Y Combinator.
A federal judge in Oklahoma ruled that police using Flock's automated license plate reader system without a warrant violated the Fourth Amendment. The decision highlights concerns about the system's potential for indiscriminate mass surveillance, with over 100,000 warrantless searches conducted monthly. (404media.co)
ICE stored photos, license plates, and other data of protesters in a Palantir-built database called the Investigative Case Management system. Court filings reveal DHS agents used this database to track and intimidate observers during enforcement operations in Maine. (wired.com)
Apple will require explicit user actions for Mac apps to access full disk data, aiming to reduce security risks. This change comes as AI agents are deemed to substantially increase potential security vulnerabilities. (theverge.com)
Two vessels heading to the United States have been reportedly compromised by hackers. US officials are investigating the incidents involving these ships' cybersecurity breaches. (reuters.com)
A California tech executive has been arrested for allegedly smuggling $300 million worth of Nvidia chips to China. The case involves violations of export controls and sanctions related to the transfer of advanced semiconductor technology. (qz.com)
GrapheneOS fixed a major performance regression caused by Android 17 QPR1, which caused lag and freezes on Pixels. Google has been slow to release fixes for such issues, but GrapheneOS addressed it promptly and plans further improvements. (discuss.grapheneos.org)
Today's best Hacker News stories, summarized and screenshotted, one email a day.