MEPs Demand Commission Action Over Meta Account Blocking in Albania-- UPDATE: EU Commission Responds
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
More than 30 MEPs demand Commission action over Meta account blocking in Albania
BRUSSELS/TIRANA, 8 SEPTEMBER 2026 — More than 30 MEPs from Renew Europe, the Greens/EFA, S&D and The Left have submitted a formal Parliamentary Question to the European Commission over Meta’s blocking of dozens of Albanian accounts belonging to activists, journalists and political figures, followed by the blocking of Euronews Albania’s Instagram account on 5 September. Euronews Albania’s account was subsequently restored, while Meta says it is investigating the case.
The MEPs are calling on the Commission to investigate whether Meta’s actions comply with the Digital Services Act (DSA), including its obligations concerning freedom of expression, transparency, fundamental rights and systemic risks.
MEP Alexandra Geese commented:
“Freedom of expression is one of our highest values. What happened in Albania is tantamount to censorship. Mark Zuckerberg’s understanding of ‘freedom of speech’ only seems to cover opinions that align with the political agenda of the Trump administration. This is precisely why we have European rules. I ask the Commission to investigate the repeated instances of blocked accounts not only as violations of transparency and complaint-handling rules, but as a systemic risk to freedom of expression, freedom of the media and public discourse.”
Martha Dimitratou, Founder and Executive Director of Repro Uncensored, commented:
“When Meta’s technology can be manipulated to silence activists and take major news outlets offline, it becomes a direct threat to freedom of speech and to our democracies. These accounts reach millions of people, and their removal affects not only the activists, journalists and newsrooms being targeted, but entire audiences who rely on them for news and political information.
“The censorship of Albanian voices concerns Europe as a whole. If people can pay to exploit Meta’s systems to silence activists and the press, the same form of censorship could be happening elsewhere in Europe, posing a direct threat to our democracies. We ask Meta to investigate who is behind these attacks and address the systemic failures that allowed them to succeed, and the European Commission to examine whether platforms have adequate safeguards in place to prevent their reporting systems from being turned into tools of political censorship.”
The signatories are asking the Commission to establish what caused the account restrictions, whether coordinated reporting or other forms of manipulation were involved, and what enforcement action it intends to take.
Parliamentary Question tabled
Subject: Meta censorship of Euronews and activist or political accounts in connection with the “Flamingo Revolution” in Albania
On 5 September 2026, reports emerged that Euronews Albania’s Instagram account was blocked, following the blocking or disabling of dozens of accounts belonging to Albanian activists, civic platforms and political actors documenting the “Flamingo Revolution” on Meta platforms. Multiple accounts were reportedly targeted through repeated copyright complaints, with some content subsequently restored after Meta acknowledged erroneous removals. In at least one reported case, an individual allegedly admitted being paid to submit multiple complaints.
Will the Commission:
1. Follow up with Meta to establish the facts surrounding these account restrictions and verify whether its content-moderation and reporting systems were subject to coordinated or bot-driven manipulation?
2. Assess whether Meta has taken adequate measures under Article 35 DSA to mitigate systemic risks arising from the abuse or automated manipulation of reporting mechanisms, particularly where such practices may affect freedom of expression and civic participation?
3. Assess whether Meta’s enforcement of its Terms and Conditions complied with Article 14(4) DSA, including the obligation to act with due regard to recipients’ fundamental rights, and whether affected users received accurate and sufficiently specific statements of reasons under Article 17 DSA, including where Meta relied on copyright complaints that may have been erroneous or abusive?
UPDATE:
European Commission responds
On 11 September, the European Commission publicly responded to questions concerning the blocking of Albanian accounts and the intervention by MEPs. During the Commission’s midday press briefing, spokesperson Thomas Regnier confirmed that the Commission is already investigating Meta over concerns relating to the shadow-banning of political voices and said the latest cases were “definitely not a surprise.”
The Commission confirmed that the investigation is ongoing and highlighted the role of the Digital Services Act in enabling users to challenge unjustified content moderation decisions.
Watch the European Commission response:
https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-294324
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About Repro Uncensored
Repro Uncensored is the leading global nonprofit documenting digital censorship, reinstating accounts and protecting freedom of expression. It has documented thousands of censorship cases across more than 50 countries and reinstated dozens of accounts with millions in reach.
Through research, legal action, policy reform and direct support, Repro Uncensored works to hold technology companies accountable and protect access to information.
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