Instagram bot campaigns target activists and media in Western BalkansCEFR A2
29 Nov 2025
Adapted from Metamorphosis Foundation, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Maria Ivanova, Unsplash
Coordinated bot operations targeted activist and media Instagram accounts in the Western Balkans during November 2025. Meta.mk News Agency published reports on November 16 and November 23, 2025 that described near-simultaneous campaigns. They tried to exploit automated platform rules and silence critical voices.
In Serbia the Students in Blockade movement found a sudden spike in suspicious followers on its main Instagram profile, which has over 1 million followers. Investigators said attackers used two tactics: many fake, often foreign, accounts and mass reports to trigger automatic locks. The civic association IT Blokada warned publicly and some groups regained control.
In North Macedonia Sloboden Pechat saw hundreds of identical "like" bot comments and many follow requests over 999. The outlet locked its profile temporarily and asked readers to interact to restore visibility.
Difficult words
- attack — a harmful act against someone or something.attacks
- network — a group of connected things or people.networks
- shut — to cause something to start working.
- vulnerable — easily harmed or affected.vulnerability
- communicate — to share information or ideas.communication
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How can social media affect activism?
- What are other ways to protect online communication?
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