The closure of the satirical website "Lol Albania," commonly known as "Lolita" on social networks has brought into discussion the mechanisms that platforms use to moderate content and the risk of them being misused as censorship in the digital space.
The site's administrators claim that they were deliberately reported as part of an orchestrated campaign to limit their critical content. They argue this by saying that the reports on Meta were made for copyright infringement.
Digital security experts shared with Cizitens.al their concerns about how this mechanism works and the risks of abuse.
According to the administrators of “Lolita”, it all started with the publication of a photo showing the Chairman of the Socialist Party Parliamentary Group, Taulant Balla, and Imam Ahmed Kalaja at an iftar during the month of Ramadan. They told Citizens.al that the photo was also widely circulated on other sites and portals.
"They removed [the post] on the pretext of copyright," one of the administrators of the site, which maintains anonymous access and is presented to the public only by the popular nickname "Lolita", told Citizens.al.
"When we started saying that Ahmed Kalaja was censoring us, [the trend] continued with other reports, also about copyright," one of the administrators further explained, adding that other posts had also been deleted in this way.
"Among them was a post by the prime minister, which was the same as that of Ahmed Kala, and we said ironically: 'Why are you copying the Surrel imam?'"
Administrators say they have received official notifications from the Meta platform for each content removed, which, according to them, results from the reports being made by the same person. They add that even sarcastic content and content without direct criticism have been deleted, while they suspect reports organized by followers.
"We are trying through a company [to recover the site]; we are still waiting for a response," they said.
Given this case, there was a reaction from the Association of Journalists of Albania (AGSH), which emphasized that freedom of expression is one of the fundamental pillars and is not limited to information. "acceptable", but it also includes forms such as irony and satire.
"In this context, the use of mass reporting mechanisms to shut down pages or silence critical voices constitutes a dangerous form of pressure on freedom of expression and creates a worrying precedent for indirect censorship in the digital space," AGSH declared.
Imami Kalaja, contacted by Citizens.al, did not respond to a request for comment by the time this article was published.
How does copyright reporting work?
According to digital rights researcher Megi Reçi, the copyright reporting system on platforms like Facebook and Instagram is formal and based mainly on self-declaration.
"Reporting can only be done by the rights owner or a legally authorized representative. The process is carried out through an online form, which requires identification of the original work, a link to the content that is allegedly infringing, and a good faith statement from the complainant that the claim is accurate," Reci explained.
In practice, according to her, verification by the platform is limited and often automated.
"It does not constitute an in-depth investigation into the real ownership of the content. For this reason, the platform has been repeatedly criticized for removing content or closing automated and unverified accounts," Reçi argues.
According to her, in Lolita's case, transparency is limited.
"Users typically only receive a standard copyright infringement notice and some basic information about the complaining party. There is no detailed reasoning for the decision," Reci emphasized.
This becomes especially problematic for content of public interest, such as satire or journalistic materials, which can be repeatedly deleted without a transparent and contextual assessment.
"In Albania, this concern has often manifested itself in practice, resulting in the abuse of reporting mechanisms to target journalists, activists or various groups. Platforms have failed in some cases to identify abusive reporting and, as a result, have censored legitimate content," she added.
Lack of legal framework
Another problem is related to the lack of a clear legal framework for the liability of online platforms in Albania.
Meta does not have legal representation in our country and operates through its global policies, including the possibility of contacting an agent engaged in copyright matters, who usually operates internationally.
According to digital rights researcher Megi Reçi, the decision-making of Meta platforms relies on algorithmic systems that can be not only fallible, but also manipulable.
"The platform has no direct legal obligation to account for its decisions in Albania, nor to guarantee moderation by staff who know the local language and context," Reci explained.
If content is not restored after a complaint within the platform, options for other legal remedies remain limited, a situation that, according to her, raises serious concerns about transparency and the protection of freedom of expression in the digital environment.
"Especially in countries like Albania, where legal regulation for online platforms is lacking," Reci concluded.
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Erisa Kryeziu has completed higher studies in Journalism and Communication and Master of Science in Public Relations at the University of Tirana. She has been a journalist and project manager at Citizens.al for five years, where she reports on social issues and human rights, especially on issues of rights at work, in education, gender equality, marginalized groups, people with disabilities such as and for environmental issues. At the same time, she works as a project coordinator with a focus on youth and media education. User of new reporting techniques such as "Mobile Journalism" and citizen engagement tools in reporting (ECR-Engage Citizens Journalism).
