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Will Rama now remove the DOI devices that are eavesdropping on Albanians?
The government has backed down from its decision to shut down TikTok.
The ban on access to the social network was approved after the murder of Martin Can near the school, although the case was not directly related to the platform. After 1 year, access will be restored and today the executive has given an official explanation for the measure taken and for its removal.
According to the government's statement, the decision of the Council of Ministers in March 2025 was taken as a preventive measure to protect the public interest and to address concerns raised at that time.
The executive claims that the ban also served to open a dialogue with the TikTok company and establish new security mechanisms.
" The measure approved by the Council of Ministers in March 2025 was conceived and implemented as a preventive intervention. It served to open a direct dialogue with the platform and to establish the foundations of new security mechanisms ," the government's official response states, noting that Albanian authorities are now in partnership with TikTok for protective filters, content control and reporting mechanisms.
However, beyond this justification, the TikTok shutdown has raised suspicions of another purpose. To achieve the blocking of the platform, the government installed seven DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) devices near internet distribution companies. The deployment of these devices caused public reactions and serious concerns, as DPI is considered a technology that can be used for mass interception and surveillance of online communications.
The National Cyber Security Authority admitted that the DPI equipment was leased from Israel for a period of one year. With the lifting of the TikTok ban, it remains unclear whether these devices will be dismantled or will continue to remain active in the Albanian internet infrastructure.
These developments take on another dimension after Israeli media reports that Albania is expected to build its first large data center, through an investment of around 100 million euros by the Israeli company ADC. The project envisages that a significant part of the data infrastructure will be managed by a foreign company.
According to the Israeli media outlet Globes, the data center will be built in a free trade zone near Tirana, will be based on Nvidia graphics processors and will have an initial capacity of 32 megawatts, with the possibility of expansion up to 100 megawatts. The ADC company is mainly owned by Happy Technologies, a cyber company with Israeli owners, as well as by the consulting company DIT.
In this context, concerns about data security and citizens' privacy increase, especially when related to the use of technologies such as IPR.
DPI is a technology that allows inspection not only of the technical data of internet packets, but also of their content. It can identify traffic, applications used, block or redirect data in real time, and monitor user behavior in detail.
Officially, DPI is argued to be a tool for cybersecurity. But human rights organizations and experts warn that the same technology can be used for censorship, eavesdropping, and mass surveillance.
In the absence of an official clarification, several crucial questions remain open: was TikTok's shutdown a temporary security measure or a justification for installing DPI devices? And will these devices be removed now that the ban has been lifted, or will they continue to operate quietly? / Pamphlet
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