Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama Blames Social Media Fake Profiles for Targeting Protesters

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama accused the algorithms of major social‑media platforms of deploying hundreds of fake Facebook profiles to amplify government messages and attack supporters of the "Flamingo Revolution" protests. The protests, which began in early June, were sparked by plans to build a luxury tourist complex in the protected coastal area linked to Jared Kushner, the son‑in‑law of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Rama said the fake accounts posted abusive comments against residents of the mountain villages of Theth (also referred to as Tet) after the government was found to have illegally built dozens of tourist cabins there.

Data supplied by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) suggested the coordinated campaign was orchestrated by a secret digital army, spreading pre‑produced videos and memes to create an illusion of broad public support. IT expert Besmir Semanaj explained that when large numbers of such accounts act simultaneously, platform algorithms can interpret the activity as genuine organic engagement, further extending the reach of the content. Rama's office framed the allegations as evidence of manipulation by social‑media platforms against Albanian citizens.