Abstract
Cybercrimes nowadays are becoming an increasingly worrying phenomenon, as their number and complexity are constantly increasing. This is closely related to the fact that modern society is developing in a digital age, where technology evolves at a rapid pace and encompasses every aspect of economic, social, and institutional life. As a result, Albania’s Criminal Code has also undergone significant changes, in order to adapt to new forms of criminality that occur in the virtual space. Being new criminal offenses, not only the way these provisions are applied in practice is of interest, but also the criminal policy pursued by the criminal procedure authorities, mainly the prosecution and the court. This paper provides an analysis of the Albanian criminal policy in the field of cybercrimes, based on the statistical data reported for the years 2023 and 2024. The analysis shows a clear fragmentation of the implementation of legal provisions; some provisions are practically unimplemented, such as those related to the distribution of racist or xenophobic materials and insults with discriminatory motives, while some others have a limited application, such as cases of racially motivated intimidation and illegal data sharing. Criminal offenses related to interference with data and computer systems show a high frequency of proceedings, but with minimal court results, highlighting challenges in the technical examination, lack of digital expertise and inter-institutional cooperation. On the other hand, fraud and computer forgery show a more stable and efficient implementation, due to the direct economic impact that drives denunciation and investigation. Transitional provisions, such as unauthorized computer access, begin to yield concrete results with penalties identified for the first time. The study highlights the need to strengthen investigative and judicial capacities, as well as for a more integrated and effective criminal policy approach to cybercrimes in Albania.