In Tirana, was published today the latest initiative against violent extremism. Through a special portal, citizens can denounce extremism online, which they can see on websites.
The initiative is a cooperation of civil society with the Coordination Center against Violent Extremism.
Albania now has its own portal to signal violent online extremism encountered on websites.
This is the new initiative against violent extremism and to avoid the radicalization of young people.
The National Portal for Signaling Illegal Content Websites is the result of a collaboration between the Academy of Political Studies and the Coordination Center against Violent Extremism, and the project is supported by the US Embassy in Albania.
The goal, according to the authors, is to create a safe online space from violent extremism and to prevent further spread of this phenomenon, by deleting extremist messages as soon as possible and not leaving them online for several years as is the case so far.
"The portal provided by the National Agency for Electronic Certification and Cyber Security is considered a new mechanism for activists of civil society organizations as well as representatives of schools and communities, who encounter dangerous behaviors online and report them, by helped to quickly delete messages that promote hatred, xenophobia, extremism and sexual abuse of children "- said the head of the Academy of Political Studies, Erjon Tase.
According to monitoring by the Academy of Political Studies on online platforms in Albania, Kosovo and Northern Macedonia, Albanian-language social media and websites continue to spread the propaganda of violent extremism.
Most of their followers belong to the 15-25 age group mainly from the poorer strata on the outskirts of large centers.
Experts insist on an early recognition of these phenomena from the very beginning, when even interventions may be easier.
Studies point out that the risk of extremist propaganda and online radicalization continues to be high because it comes from many countries and several continents.
But a large part of the likes and downloads of these materials come from Albania, Kosovo, and Northern Macedonia.
These 3 countries had about 500 people recruited during the conflict in Syria and Iraq during 2014-17.