Life after TikTok: The European country that banned videos
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The ban has been described as politically motivated. Every evening, Ergus Katiaj uploads a video on TikTok reminding customers that his shop in Tirana delivers potato chips, cigarettes and alcohol through the night. His phone buzzes with orders that add about 1,000 euros to his monthly profit.
![[FILEA TikTok sign is displayed on top of their building in Culver City, Calif., on Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/31/01/TikTok_27208.jpg)
But Katiaj will soon have to find a new way to attract business. Albania’s government has imposed a year-long ban on the social media app that it says is aimed at reducing youth violence but which rights groups and business owners say threatens commerce and free speech ahead of May elections.
![[Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/10/15/11/Germany_Western_Balkans_88732.jpg)
“It will have a huge impact on my business because most of the sales are through delivery thanks to TikTok’s free marketing,” Katiaj said as he made deliveries across the outskirts of the capital. Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the ban on December 21 after a 14-year-old boy was stabbed to death in November by a fellow pupil, a crime that local media reports said occurred after the boys clashed online. TikTok is expected to be taken down in the coming weeks.
The move follows bans or partial bans in at least 20 countries due to worries about improper videos or security concerns linked to the app’s owner, China-based ByteDance, and its proximity to the Chinese government. In Albania, Rama said the decision came after discussions with parents and teachers, but opponents worry that it is part of the prime minister’s crackdown on political dissent after a year of popular unrest.
