The \u201cSmart City\u201d project, which envisages the installation of thousands of smart cameras in cities across Albania and in schools, was presented by the government as a way to improve security and prevent crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the project raised questions about privacy, data security and the monitoring of citizens. The inclusion of schools also prompted concerns about children, while claims began circulating in the media and on social media linking the cameras and pupils\u2019 data to Israel, including allegations that children were being controlled by international criminal networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The narrative linking the \u201cSmart City\u201d project to Israel also appeared in publications by Vatani News, a news outlet covering developments in Albania, Kosovo and around the world through its website and social media channels. In a\u00a0p<\/a>o<\/a>st<\/a> about tenor Armaldo Kllogjeri\u2019s reaction to the installation of cameras in schools, the outlet used an image featuring his photograph and the caption: \u201cThe child\u2019s data goes to a company abroad. Israel is suspected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The caption presented the transfer of data abroad as a fact and introduced suspicion involving Israel, linking this message to Kllogjeri\u2019s reaction. However, in the accompanying text of the same post, Vatani News acknowledged that it had found no reliable confirmation that children\u2019s data were being sent to Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kllogjeri\u2019s original statement, however, conveyed a different message. On 10 September 2026, at the beginning of the school year, the tenor publicly expressed his concerns as a parent about his daughter\u2019s safety at a school where smart cameras under the \u201cSmart City\u201d project had been installed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his written post and accompanying video, he asked the Minister of Education, Mirela Kumbaro, to clarify whether the cameras scanned pupils\u2019 faces, collected biometric data and whether their use had a legal basis. Kllogjeri explained that the school had not answered these questions and that parents had been informed about the cameras through a WhatsApp group, without having had an opportunity to discuss the matter beforehand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In none of the statements examined did he mention Israel or claim that children\u2019s data were being sent outside Albania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The General Directorate of the State Police confirmed that the cameras installed in 20 schools had been integrated into artificial intelligence platforms. The police stated that monitoring was limited to corridors and schoolyards and did not infringe upon pupils\u2019 privacy, but did not clarify whether the system used biometric facial recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to digital policy expert Orkidea Xhaferraj, footage recorded in school corridors or schoolyards also constitutes personal data when pupils can be identified. Artificial intelligence may introduce additional risks, such as behavioural analysis and false alerts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Xhaferraj distinguishes between these concerns and allegations that children are being controlled by criminal networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe claim that the system is controlled by criminal networks requires concrete evidence of such a connection. A lack of transparency, a technical weakness or the theoretical possibility of misuse does not prove such an allegation,\u201d she told Media Amfora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Narratives linking the \u201cSmart City\u201d project to Israel and Israeli technologies also spread on social media, accompanied by unfounded claims about the surveillance of citizens, control over personal data and the involvement of international criminal networks, fuelling fear and mistrust surrounding the use of artificial intelligence and security cameras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRama\u2019s Smart City (which uses cameras in schools and on roads and Israeli servers with 100% artificial intelligence to monitor) your children\u2019s lives is controlled by the global network of Epstein-type paedophiles […]\u201d, lawyer Altin Goxhaj wrote on 2 October 2026 in an Instagram post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The post provided no documents or verifiable evidence to support the claims that the system used Israeli servers or that children were being controlled by international criminal networks. Goxhaj also called on parents to mobilise for the removal of cameras from schools, claiming that they had been installed without their consent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From a Need for Security to Conspiracy Narratives<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The project is financed with $118.5 million from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, a state fund of the United Arab Emirates. Of this amount, $20 million has been declared as a grant. Implementation has been entrusted to \u201cPresight AL LTD\u201d, a company also based in the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The involvement of a company based in the United Arab Emirates is a confirmed fact, but it does not substantiate claims about the use of Israeli servers or the control of cameras and children\u2019s data by international criminal networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On 20 January 2026, the narrative linking the \u201cSmart City\u201d project to Israel also appeared in statements by Alfred Cako, reported by Euro Albania<\/a>. Cako claimed that the United Arab Emirates, through the company Presight, represented Israeli interests and that the project formed part of a plan to surveil and control citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In response to claims that Israel was behind the \u201cSmart City\u201d project, the State Police confirmed to Media Amfora that its implementation had been entrusted to \u201cPresight AL LTD\u201d, based in the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe contract provides for the Service Provider (the company \u2018Presight AL LTD\u2019) to supply equipment, software and services related to the implementation, operation and maintenance of the AI Smart City package,\u201d the State Police wrote in its response to Amfora.al.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The lack of clarification about the location of the infrastructure and access to data created room for the spread of unsubstantiated claims about Israel\u2019s involvement in the project. The police response did not make clear whether the company \u201cPresight\u201d had access to camera footage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor security reasons, detailed information about the location of the data storage and processing infrastructure, the technical configuration of the system and the technical means of accessing it is not made public,\u201d the police stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital policy expert Orkidea Xhaferraj emphasises the responsibility of institutions to clarify how the system operates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cInstitutions, for their part, must respond with documents and verifiable checks. Regardless of the claims circulating, they remain responsible for the transparency, legality and security of the system,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Ministry of Education confirmed in its official response that the project was being implemented in 20 schools in Tirana, providing clarification on how the monitoring system operates, the responsibilities of school administrators and security officers, and coordination with State Police structures to identify and respond to incidents that could compromise safety on school premises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Camera footage is stored at schools, while alerts about suspicious activities are managed by the State Police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe distinction between storing footage at schools and the police managing alerts is not, in itself, a sufficient guarantee,\u201d Xhaferraj explained, stressing the need to establish what information is transmitted, who can view it and what subsequently happens to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, the Office of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection has begun monitoring the project in 20 schools in Tirana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Commissioner\u2019s Office has initiated monitoring activities at pre-university and vocational secondary education institutions (specifically in 20 schools in Tirana) where the \u2018Smart City\u2019 project has been implemented,\u201d the official response stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The monitoring covers the use and protection of pupils\u2019 data. The Commissioner also reported that no prior consultations had been held with the office regarding the assessment of the impact on personal data protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn light of the above, there have been no prior consultations by the data controller with the Commissioner\u2019s Office regarding the assessment of the impact on personal data protection,\u201d the official response stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In response to claims about the use of Israeli servers, the Ministry of the Interior stated that data from the \u201cSmart City\u201d system were stored and processed in Albania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe data are stored and processed within the territory of the Republic of Albania, in systems managed by the relevant data controllers,\u201d the official response stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Ministry clarified that access to the system was permitted only to authorised individuals and that every action was recorded and could be traced. Nevertheless, the response did not specify whether the implementing company, \u201cPresight\u201d, had access to camera footage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The institution also confirmed that the contract with \u201cPresight AI LTD\u201d contained restrictions on the publication of information and accompanying documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnder Article 22 of the contract, the parties are obliged to maintain the confidentiality of protected information, including the contents of the contract and the documentation associated with it,\u201d the response stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Children\u2019s safety was one of the reasons cited by the government in support of the project. During the presentation of the cameras in schools, Prime Minister Edi Rama linked \u201cSmart City\u201d to the killing of a pupil near the \u201cFan Noli\u201d school in Tirana, presenting the technology as a way to prevent similar incidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Questions about the surveillance of citizens had already begun to emerge in the media. In an article<\/a> entitled \u201cSmart City\u201d or a State \u201cBig Brother\u201d?<\/em>, the online outlet Shqip\u00ebria Sot raised concerns that smart cameras, presented as a measure to improve security, could also be used to surveil citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to digital communication expert Orkidea Xhaferraj, checking original sources is essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe public and the media should check the original source, the documents presented as evidence, the context and confirmation from independent sources. It must be made clear what constitutes a documented fact, what represents a potential risk and what remains an unsubstantiated claim,\u201d expert Orkidea Xhaferraj explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Institutional responses still leave questions unanswered about the processing of and access to pupils\u2019 data. Nevertheless, these uncertainties do not prove claims that school cameras are controlled by Israel, that children\u2019s data are sent to Israeli servers or that the system is used by international criminal networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Narratives linking Israel to events in Albania are not new. During the summer of 2026,\u00a0wild<\/a>fi<\/a>res<\/a>\u00a0from Kruja to Himara were blamed on Israelis without evidence. The\u00a0visit<\/a>\u00a0of the Israeli Foreign Minister to Tirana was also portrayed on social media as Albania\u2019s \u201csurrender\u201d to Israeli control, without evidence to support these claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the case of \u201cSmart City\u201d too, concerns about the privacy and security of children\u2019s data became intertwined with unsubstantiated claims about Israeli servers and the control of pupils by international criminal networks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The smart cameras installed in schools under the \u201cSmart City\u201d project, presented as a measure to protect children, were accompanied by unsubstantiated claims that pupils\u2019 data were being sent to Israel and that the system was controlled by international criminal networks. A lack of transparency about how the system operates has left questions unanswered about privacy and access to children\u2019s data, but does not constitute evidence for the allegations involving Israel. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":25712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11911],"tags":[691,11889,12007,12000,11998,12008,12004,11954,10741,12005,3978,10892,193,10745,12003,12006,11990,12001,12002],"class_list":["post-25711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activities","tag-albania","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-biometric-data","tag-child-safety","tag-childrens-privacy","tag-conspiracy-narratives","tag-data-privacy","tag-digital-rights","tag-disinformation","tag-facial-recognition","tag-fact-checking","tag-israel","tag-media","tag-misinformation","tag-personal-data-protection","tag-school-security","tag-smart-city","tag-student-data","tag-surveillance-cameras"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t