FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
From the street to Google: How online ratings turned into protest weapons in Albania?
Dozens of large businesses in Albania became the subject of an unusual form of protest.
They were not attacked with stones or paint, but with thousands of negative reviews on Google, accompanied by calls for a boycott on social networks.
Within days, the online profiles of restaurants, companies, and media outlets were filled with one-star reviews, significantly lowering their public ratings.
For businesses, this translates into a direct blow to reputation and customer trust.
For protesters, it is a way to put pressure on companies that, according to them, have benefited from their proximity to power.
The campaign began as part of the protests known as the Flamingo Revolution.
How did the Flamingo Revolution come about?
Initially, the targets were artists, singers, and well-known showbiz figures, whom the protesters accused of supporting the government or having chosen to remain silent in the face of political developments in the country.
Soon, it changed direction. Large companies that, according to the protesters, have benefited from government decisions or have built privileged relationships with the government also became targets.
Calls for a boycott first appeared on the social media platform Reddit, and then spread to Facebook, Instagram and other platforms, where users were encouraged to leave one-star ratings on Google Reviews for dozens of companies and media outlets.
Google Reviews is one of the most widely used platforms for evaluating businesses and, for many companies, online reputation directly impacts customer trust.
For this reason, a number of them turned to the authorities with reports.
The State Police said they have identified around 10,000 accounts suspected of being involved in this coordinated online activity and added that verifications are in progress.
Prime Minister Edi Rama called on the Prosecution to act against those he described as "violators of public and private property" and "blackmailers of citizens."
From "1 euro" contracts to Google campaigns
Among the businesses that were at the center of this campaign is that of entrepreneur Gjergj Luca, known for his activity in the fish processing industry and for the "Rozafa Fish City" complex in Elbasan.
Protesters targeted him, claiming he is one of the businessmen who has benefited from his proximity to power.
They refer, among other things, to the decisions of the Council of Ministers, according to which, since 2015, his company has taken over the use of five state assets for the symbolic fee of one euro, within the framework of the state scheme for promoting investment and employment.
Vetë kompania thotë se kontratat janë dhënë në përputhje me këtë skemë shtetërore dhe se investimet kanë sjellë zhvillim ekonomik dhe vende pune.
Brenda një periudhe të shkurtër, profilet e bizneseve të Lucës në Google Reviews u përballën me një valë komentesh negative dhe, sipas të dhënave publike në platformë, disa prej tyre ranë nga rreth 4.5 yje në afro 2.
Luca e përshkroi fushatën si sulm ndaj punës së ndërtuar ndër vite.
“Nuk dëmtohem unë, por hidhet baltë mbi njerëz që kanë punuar me sakrificë”, u shpreh ai publikisht, ndërsa në reagimet në rrjetet sociale, protestuesit i quajti “fashistë”.
Radio Evropa e Lirë e pyeti Lucën nëse bizneset e tij kanë pësuar dëme konkrete nga kjo fushatë, por ai nuk pranoi të japë komente shtesë, duke thënë se qëndrimi i tij mbetet ai që ka shprehur tashmë publikisht.
Për organizatorët e protestës, Luca është vetëm një nga shembujt.
Gent Progni, pjesë e grupit koordinator të “Revolucionit të Flamingove”, thotë se fushata nuk synon të godasë biznesin privat si të tillë, por kompanitë që, sipas tij, janë pasuruar falë privilegjeve të krijuara nga pushteti.
“Qytetarëve u ka ardhur në majë të hundës me njerëz që, vetëm sepse janë afër me pushtetin, marrin prona me një euro për t’u pasuruar... Kushdo është i lirë të reagojë dhe të shprehë mendimin e tij”, thotë Progni.
Ai shton se fushata është frymëzuar nga nisma të ngjashme në vende të tjera, ku rrjetet sociale janë përdorur si mjet presioni ndaj kompanive ose figurave publike.
Liri e shprehjes apo sulm i koordinuar?
Për autoritetet shqiptare, nuk bëhet fjalë vetëm për komente negative në internet.
Drejtori i Policisë së Shtetit, Skënder Hitaj, tha në fund të javës së kaluar se rreth 10 mijë llogari në rrjetet sociale dyshohen se janë përfshirë në këtë aktivitet.
Sipas tij, janë identifikuar raste kur e njëjta llogari ka publikuar, brenda një kohe shumë të shkurtër, vlerësime negative për biznese në qytete të ndryshme të vendit - një model që, sipas policisë, ngre dyshime për një veprimtari të koordinuar.
Hitaj tha se autoritetet po bashkëpunojnë me platformat online dhe partnerët ndërkombëtarë për të siguruar prova dhe për të identifikuar personat që qëndrojnë pas këtyre veprimeve.
“Çdo person që do të rezultojë i përfshirë në këtë aktivitet të kundërligjshëm, pavarësisht vendndodhjes së tij, do të përballet me forcën e ligjit”, deklaroi ai.
Deklaratat e policisë u kundërshtuan menjëherë nga organizatorët e protestës, të cilët i cilësuan ato si përpjekje për të frikësuar qytetarët.
Gent Progni thotë se askush nuk mund të hetohet vetëm pse ka lënë një vlerësim negativ në një platformë online.
“Nuk ka asnjë bazë ligjore të hetosh apo ndalosh dikë për një ‘review’ negativ. Qytetarët po shprehin mendimin e tyre për bizneset. Kjo fushatë shkon edhe në të mirë të bizneseve të tjera, që ndoshta punojnë ndershmërisht dhe jo si biznesmenët e lidhur me pushtetin”, thotë ai.
Debatit iu bashkua edhe opozita.
The Chairman of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, said that every citizen has the right to express his opinion about a private or public service.
However, he distinguished between sincere criticism and the use of fake accounts to publish reviews for services that were never received, saying this harms fair competition.
At the same time, he accused the Government of preparing to restrict social networks.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Rama described this form of protest as a "criminal scheme" and said that, with the help of Google, business profiles are being restored to ratings that, according to him, were earned "through hard work and effort."
He argued that online attacks not only damage the affected companies, but also Albania's image as a safe place for investment and tourism.
" The protest feeds the negative and false perception of a country that is environmentally unfriendly, inhospitable to foreign investment, and unsafe for tourists ," Rama said in an address to the media this week.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty contacted Google to ask if it had noticed any unusual activity in Albania and, if so, what measures it had taken, but did not receive a response.
The Constitution of Albania guarantees freedom of expression and thought.
If fraud or coordinated activity is proven, then the issue may no longer be treated as freedom of expression, but as a criminal offense, depending on the specific facts.
The Criminal Code itself does not have a specific article for "review bombing".
How has "review bombing" been handled in other countries?
Coordinated negative online review campaigns are not a new phenomenon.
They are known internationally as "review bombing" and, in recent years, have been used as a form of protest, political pressure, but also blackmail against businesses.
One of the most well-known cases was recorded during the war between Israel and Hamas - a group declared a terrorist by the US and other powers - in 2023-2024.
Restaurants, cafes and small businesses in various countries were faced with thousands of one- or five-star reviews from users who, in many cases, had never been their customers.
Google intervened by removing some of the reviews, considering them fake or the result of unusual and coordinated activity.
In most similar cases, the first reaction has not come from the police, but from the online platforms themselves.
They have removed reviews they considered false or coordinated and suspended accounts that violated the rules of use. / Taken from "Radio Free Europe"
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