A series of coordinated digital disruptions has hit the Serbian media landscape, with several high-profile Instagram accounts belonging to independent newsrooms, NGOs, and activists suspended or permanently deleted.
The Nova newsroom said it was notified on Sunday that three of its primary accounts on Instagram and the personal account of the outlet’s social media administrator were hit with 180-day suspensions for allegedly failing to follow community standards. Nova.rs has filed an appeal.
The situation is even more severe for United Media’s Radar weekly, whose Instagram account was permanently deleted.
Nova’s accounts had already come under attack earlier in January.
The newsroom said at the time that the Instagram account was hit by a bot attack using fake profiles, which showed up as a sudden and unusual spike in followers over a very short period. In just a few hours, the official Nova Instagram account jumped from 204,000 to over 244,000 followers, a clear sign of artificial and unnatural growth. Within a few days, it dropped by nearly 30,000.
Artificial and uncontrolled growth and decline in follower numbers poses a serious security risk for any social media account. Such activity can lead the platform to flag the account as suspicious, limit its visibility, or ultimately shut it down permanently, even though the account itself never initiated or encouraged such growth.
Others also targeted
Several other Instagram profiles also came under attack on Sunday.
The account of the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA), an independent, non-partisan civil society organization committed to developing democratic culture and civic activism, was suspended.
The Instagram account of the OsnaZene (Empowered) digital platform of women’s business in Serbia and the region was permanently disabled, and that of Gavrilo Andric, a photographer who covers protests and student actions, was also targeted.
The band Beogradski Sindikat (Belgrade Syndicate) said their Instagram and Facebook accounts have been deleted. This hip-hop collective is known for addressing social issues in Serbia.
“What this regime is doing is total madness, this is total repression. We will of course fight to get our profiles back, and they won’t stop us from saying what we think needs to be said,” the band stated.
Movement Changes in Focus (PUF) also said that their Instagram account was taken down.
“Through this channel, our movement and our councilor group reached an audience of millions in Serbia and beyond with the truth. This is a clear sign that the regime in Serbia is threatened by every source of free speech and thought, and will stop at nothing to silence them,” PUF said.
Source: N1
