Meta’s Copyright System Is Being Weaponized Against Albanian Protesters

The ongoing protests in Albania, known as the "Flamingo Revolution," have been marred by a potential abuse of Meta's copyright system against protesters. The movement, which began over three months ago, demands changes to the law regarding development on protected land and the resignation of the prime minister. Meta accounts suspensions, almost all resulting from copyright complaints, began in late August.

An NGO group investigating the suspensions, Repro Uncensored, found evidence pointing to coordinated activity behind the complaints.

Founders of Repro Uncensored, Martha Dimitratou, have verified around 100 cases of account restrictions connected to protests. The investigation identified multiple posts on an account receiving copyright complaints, often five to 10 within a short period, leading to escalating enforcement and, in some cases, disabling the entire account.

Nearly all affected accounts were targeted with reports of copyright infringement, with at least 70 cases confirming removal of posts and videos about the protests, account restrictions, and loss of collaboration features.

One protester, Arjan Koçi, received emails from Meta claiming his content was stolen, causing the restriction of his account along with others. Koçi discovered that the reports were coming from a single source with an email address, who had been paid $1,800 to make the complaints. When Koçi refused to pay, the attacker advised him to deactivate his account for a week to save it.

The use of paid reporting, repeated sequences of copyright complaints, and concentration of targets around the same movement indicate coordinated activity, according to Repro Uncensored. The vulnerability lies in bad actors weaponizing Meta's enforcement infrastructure by falsely claiming ownership of material and repeatedly reporting. US-based platforms follow US copyright law, which favors overcompliance, making it easy for such abuses to occur.