Albania lifts TikTok ban after working with platform on filters
Albania has finally ended its TikTok ban, which started last March after a 14-year-old was fatally stabbed in Tirana following an argument on social media.
The government said the ban was about protecting young people, and worked with TikTok on new filters for minors and to limit violent content.
Access to app was possible even during ban
Even with the ban, access to the app remained possible, with many people circumventing the block notably through VPNs—video views actually went up.
Now, about 1.5 million users are getting official access back as restrictions are lifted.
The move also comes after the Albanian Journalists Association and an NGO challenged the ban in court, saying it violated the constitutional right to freedom of expression and raised concerns about democratic communication, especially around election time.