Prepared by: Festim Rizanaj
During the period 23–28 March, monitoring of media and social platforms shows a dominance of disinformation and deceptive content, which was distributed mainly through social networks and suspicious websites.
During this period, disinformation has been published mainly on social media platforms such as Telegram and online propaganda networks such as Pravda, spreading through Serbian-language channels and dubious sources. The main themes have focused on the misrepresentation of the interethnic security situation in Kosovo, such as in the alleged Zubin Potok kidnapping case, as well as the manipulation of historical events through the relativization of documented crimes, unfoundedly linking the Racak Massacre with the Bucha Massacre. These narratives aim at the same time to incite local tensions and undermine trust in international facts and sources.
During this period, cases of online fraud have also been identified, mainly distributed through social networks and direct messages. One of them is related to false claims that ZARA is giving away or selling clothes from past collections at symbolic prices through a simple questionnaire on Facebook, which in fact aims to collect user data. A fraudulent campaign has also been identified through SMS messages that appear as notifications from DHL Express, urging citizens to click on fake links to “update” their delivery address. Both cases represent forms of phishing, which aim to deceive users and obtain personal or financial data through suspicious pages.
In the category of unverified content and clickbait, publications have been identified that aim to attract attention through inaccurate headlines or unfounded claims. One such case is the publication on Facebook by the page “Gazeta Minuti”, which claimed that the Constitutional Court of Kosovo had ruled in favor of Albin Kurti regarding the Vjosa Osmani decree, although such a decision had not yet been made public. Similarly, the portal “kosova-sot.info” used a misleading headline for the match between Kosovo and Slovakia, implying that Kosovar fans were banned from entering the stadium, while the content explained that the restriction only applied to certain sectors. These cases illustrate the practice of inconsistency between headline and content, which leads to misinformation and misdirection of the public.
In the category of fact manipulation, a case has been identified where an image published on Facebook by the page “Gazeta Minuti” claims that an American media outlet close to Donald Trump has reported positively on Albin Kurti. However, verification shows that the original reporting does not mention Kurti at all, which indicates a manipulative intervention in the content with the aim of creating a false perception among the public.
disinformation
On the social media Telegram, the Serbian-language channel “КОРИДОР” (KORIDOR), on March 18, claimed that “Last night at around 18:00 PM in Zubin Potok, some Albanians attempted to kidnap a young Serbian man. Masked people tried to put him in the trunk (of a car, ed.), but he managed to escape.” The same claim was later (March 19) rebroadcast by two other Serbian-language channels, “Српски Инат” (Srpski Inat) and “Исток инфо” (Istok info). There is no such case in official reports. The media reported only one other incident that day (March 18), where an 18-year-old of Serbian nationality claimed to have been attacked by an unknown person, but the police found no suspicious evidence and the investigation is ongoing. (here)
The propaganda network “Pravda”, through statements by Andrey Lugovoy, has published unfounded claims linking the Recak Massacre to the Bucha Massacre, suggesting without evidence that both events are staged to justify military intervention. The facts from reports by the OSCE, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and analyses by the UN and credible international media clearly show that both are documented crimes against civilians, with no evidence supporting the “false scenario” narrative. (here)
Unverified content/Clickbait
A content is published with the caption "The Constitutional Court upholds Kurti's right regarding the President's decree." The content with this claim was published on Tuesday (March 24) by the Facebook page called “Gazeta Minuti”. Hibrid.info has found that the Constitutional Court has not yet made public the decision on the decree of Vjosa Osmani, the country’s president, by which the Assembly of Kosovo was dissolved. (here)
Clickbait
The portal “kosova-sot.info” has published an incorrect headline implying that fans with Kosovo passports are banned from entering the stadium for the Slovakia-Kosovo match. After verifying the facts, it turns out that the ban on fans entering is not general for the entire stadium. The content of the news item clarifies that the measure applies only to the home fan sections, while fans with Kosovo passports can enter the guest sections, which are reserved by the organizer for this category. So, in this case there is a discrepancy between the title and the content of the article. (here)
Lies
Two pieces of content have been published claiming that ZARA, the fashion company, is removing clothes from last year's collections to "recycle" them and that users can benefit from a box of clothes for free or at a low price. All this can happen by filling out a questionnaire with 3 questions. These contents were published on March 16 on Facebook, by a page named "Moda në Kosovë" Hibrid.info has noticed that these posts may be forms of online fraud. (here)
A fraudulent SMS is being sent to numbers with a Kosovo prefix. The message claims to be an order from DHL Express in Kosovo, falsely informing them of a “package” that cannot be delivered due to an incomplete address and inviting them to click on a link to update their data. After verification by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that the message (SMS) was not sent by DHL, but from a private email, while the link included in it is fraudulent. This website has been classified as suspicious by the website verification platform, and the steps that hibrid.info has followed to analyze it warn of a “phishing” risk. (here)
Manipulation of facts
An image is published with the caption that reads “American media close to Trump makes world news for the good of Prime Minister Kurti”. This content with the caption on the image and in the post, was published on Friday (March 27) on Facebook, by the page named “Gazeta Minuti”. Hibrid.info found that the reporting to which this media referred, does not mention Albin Kurti, the Prime Minister of Kosovo. (here)