Albania orders Internet operators to block TikTok within 24 hours

The opposition has called for protests, saying the ban would have an impact on their campaign ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections in May. (AFP/File)

• Announcement of ban came after a confrontation that started on social media led to the killing of a teenager

TIRANA: Albanian authorities have ordered all Internet service providers to block access to TikTok by Thursday.
Providers are required to block relevant IP addresses and DNS servers linked to the app, according to a statement by the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority.
Prime Minister Edi Rama first announced the ban in December, after a confrontation that started on social media led to the killing of a 14-year-old student and another being injured in a fight near a school in the capital Tirana.
The killing sparked a debate about the impact of social networks on young people.
But the opposition has called for protests, saying the ban would have an impact on their campaign ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections in May.
TikTok has a huge following among young people with a never-ending scroll of ultra-brief videos and has more than one billion active users worldwide.
But the Chinese-owned platform has been regularly hit by controversy.
The app has faced allegations of espionage in the US and is under investigation by the European Union over claims it was used to sway Romania’s presidential election in favor of a far-right candidate.
Meanwhile in Albania, officials have slammed TikTok for its alleged role in promoting violence, including fighting at schools.
Elsewhere in the world, TikTok is regularly accused of confining users to content silos via an opaque algorithm and of promoting the spread of misinformation, along with illegal, violent, or obscene content — particularly among young people.
Several countries have banned it for varying periods, including Pakistan, Nepal and France in the territory of New Caledonia.
AFP, among more than a dozen other fact-checking organizations, is paid by TikTok in several countries to verify videos that potentially contain false information.