Albania's controversial TikTok ban is still not fully working

Internet providers in Albania were ordered to block TikTok on March 13, following a government decision to impose a year-long ban – but the mobile version of the app continued to work for some users on Friday.

However, TikTok has not been accessible on its web version since the ban was imposed, prompting criticism from media freedom organizations.

The National Authority for Cybersecurity stated that on March 13, it had requested internet providers to take the necessary measures to block access to the TikTok application and its digital infrastructure on Albanian territory.

According to the authority, the ban will be technically implemented through blocking TikTok's IPs (internet protocol) in Albania, blocking TikTok's DNSs (domain name system) in Albania, blocking TikTok's SNIs (server name indexes) in Albania, and blocking the IPs of the company that owns the platform, ByteDance, in Albania.

Internet service providers were ordered to send a written confirmation to the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority and the National Cybersecurity Authority that they had closed access to the relevant IPs and domains by March 13.

Orkidea Xhaferraj, an expert at the Center for Science and Innovation for Development, told BIRN that "there is very little public information on the technical measures being taken regarding the interruption of access to the TikTok platform."

"In response to our request for information, the National Cyber ​​Security Authority clarified that DNS, IP and SNI filtering methods are being used - information which has also been made public by online media," said Xhaferraj.

"Filtering SNIs on a national scale takes more time to technically implement and may require the use of certain hardware and software solutions," she added.

Xhaferraj stressed that it is important that this process be transparent, "given that the decision to block access to TikTok in Albania affects citizens' digital rights, freedom of expression and access to information."

Prime Minister Edi Rama first proposed the ban in December, a month after the stabbing death of a 14-year-old, following a series of conflicts on social media.

According to Politico, after the murder, several TikTok videos showed young people expressing support for the perpetrator. However, TikTok told BIRN that there was no evidence that the perpetrator or the victim had TikTok accounts. The platform said that reports suggest that the videos about the incident were posted on another social network and not on TikTok.

The socialist prime minister, in power since 2013, insisted that the decision was not "hasty" but was based on a survey of around 65,000 parents, 90 percent of whom had called for TikTok to be shut down.

The decision to impose the ban has been seen by some as a populist move ahead of Albania's May elections. It has been criticized by opposition parties, which organized a protest against the ban on March 15 in Tirana.

Daniel Prroni, a researcher at the Institute for Democracy and Mediation, told BIRN that "closing TikTok does not resolve concerns about social networks, but may deepen them."

"The most sustainable solution is alignment with the EU Digital Services Act, which strengthens users' rights and establishes clear rules for content moderation. Institutions should focus efforts in this direction," Prroni said.

Two European media freedom organizations, Safe Journalists Network and Media Freedom Rapid Response, expressed "serious concern" about the Albanian government's decision.

“We emphasize that the total ban of a platform constitutes an extreme restriction of the right to freedom of expression and access to information. The complete ban of a platform violates proportionality, affecting the legitimate expression of all users and limiting public debate and access to diverse sources of information,” their statement said.

“Alternative targeted solutions, such as strong content moderation, age verification, and advanced user education programs, should have been fully explored before imposing a total ban. Naturally, the blanket measure sets a dangerous precedent for excessive state interference in digital rights,” they added.

The Chinese video-sharing platform is extremely popular in Albania, with 1.53 million users over the age of 18 as of the beginning of 2024, according to data from parent company ByteDance. Albania has a population of 2.4 million. Reporter.al