Is Albania really about to ban TikTok for a year?

DW (English)

After announcing a one-year ban on TikTok just before Christmas, PM Edi Rama said last week that he had held "open and constructive" talks with TikTok. What does this mean for Albanian content creators?

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00:00Without TikTok, there would be a negative impact on our work,

00:03because we, the audience, have been created there.

00:06We would like to move to other applications such as Instagram or YouTube,

00:10but the audience would be much more limited.

00:30The Albanian capital is one of Jonl's favorite places to work.

00:33Built during Albania's communist era, it has been renovated

00:37and is now used as a creative and technology hub for young people.

00:43TikTok is not about paying content creators in Albania for views,

00:47because Albania is not part of the countries that can be paid.

00:50But if we talk about cooperation with different partners or businesses,

00:54we will have a penalty.

00:56A video will not cost a penny when TikTok is created,

01:01because a video will not have the same audience.

01:04And the cost of this video will certainly be higher.

01:08On December 21, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced a one-year ban on TikTok.

01:14This was in response to the killing of a 14-year-old boy by a fellow pupil in Tirana last November.

01:20The boy was stabbed after a fight that began on social media.

01:24TikTok said that the videos leading up to the incident had been posted on another platform, not TikTok.

01:54But experts are questioning the motivation for the ban.

02:25Last week, Rama announced that he had met Christine Grahn of TikTok

02:29at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

02:32He called the meeting fully open and constructive.

02:35Rama did not give any details,

02:37but kept open the option of blocking access to the platform if needs be.

02:42TikTok has made no comment on the meeting.

02:45At the moment, it is unclear whether Albania will actually ban TikTok or not.

02:50But if the ban does come,

02:52it will be a huge step forward for Albania to make a better world.

02:57We are working on it.

02:59We are working on it.

03:01We are working on it.

03:03We are working on it.

03:05We are working on it.

03:07We are working on it.

03:09We are working on it.

03:11Albania will actually ban TikTok or not.

03:14But if the ban does come into force,

03:16content creators will have to come up with a plan B.

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