TikTok Returns to Albania After Ban, Raising Safety and Censorship Questions

By Fatos Bytyci and Florion Goga

Online Safety, Political Tensions, and the Limits of Social Media Bans

TIRANA, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Social media platform TikTok is back in Albania after a year-long ban expired this month, in a case illustrating the complexity of imposing bans in a politically fragmented region and sparking questions over online safety and censorship.

Ban Expiration and Government Rationale

The ban, imposed last year and ostensibly linked to the death of a teenage boy after bullying online, saw Chinese-owned short video platform TikTok banned for all users. The government says TikTok has now tightened safety measures sufficiently.

Political Context and Opposition Allegations

But the case is complex in a country hit by unrest over political corruption and where the ruling party is in an unprecedented fourth term in power. Opposition parties accuse the government of trying to silence them by banning the platform weeks before parliamentary elections last year.

Government Statement and Platform Response

The government of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama told Reuters that TikTok had taken steps to address issues that it had raised and said the ban helped put pressure on the platform.

"With its correct behavior toward our concerns, TikTok confirmed to us the expression that 'the devil is not as black as it seems'," the government said in a statement, adding it had put in place "important filters for security and language".

TikTok declined to comment. The government said there was "no connection" between the TikTok ban and election interference and that the "only goal" had been to protect children.

ONLINE SAFETY OR CENSORSHIP?

Triggering Incident and Timing Ahead of Elections

TikTok was suspended in Albania after a 14-year-old boy was stabbed to death by a fellow pupil, a crime that local media reports said occurred after the two had clashed online. At the time TikTok said the clash did not originate on their platform.

It also came weeks before a crunch parliamentary election.

Claims of Manipulation and Lack of Proof

"The shutdown of TikTok was certainly a move by the Rama government to manipulate public opinion," said Edona Haklaj from the small party Shqiperia Behet that has been holding daily protests in front of Rama's office since early December. She did not give any concrete proof for her assertion.

Unrest, Indictment, and Renewed Protests

Albania has been marred in recent months by violent protests between police and the main opposition Democratic Party, demanding the resignation of the government after deputy PM Belinda Balluku was indicted for manipulating public tenders.

Late on Thursday Rama, in power since 2013, fired Balluku, though the opposition has pledged to still hold protests on Saturday. Activists worry the TikTok ban - even if lifted - could be used to justify further blocks amid rising tensions.

Press Freedom Concerns and Precedent Risks

"This will create a dangerous precedent," said Isa Myzyraj, the president of the Association of the Albanian Journalists. "Any government could exploit this precedent to block other social networks or even impose a total internet shutdown."

VPN Workarounds and Enforcement Challenges

Brenton Benja, founder of Geek Room Albania who tracked the ban, cautioned that the measure had had limited impact as people used VPNs to skirt controls - a signal of the wider challenge of imposing social media bans on increasingly tech-savvy users.

The government also acknowledged in its statement that a full ban had proved "impossible" because of technological hurdles.

Usage During the Ban

"The 1.7 million Albanians we knew were using TikTok at the time it was closed continued to use it throughout the year by turning to alternative methods such as VPNs," Benja said.

(Reporting by Fatos Bytyci and Florion Goga; Additional reporting by Supantha Mukherjee; Editing by Ivana Sekularac, Adam Jourdan and Hugh Lawson)