Image credit: The Byteline

The European Commission has initiated a formal investigation into TikTok following allegations of foreign interference in Romania's recent presidential election.

Declassified intelligence documents revealed a surge of 25,000 newly activated TikTok accounts backing far-right independent candidate Calin Georgescu weeks before the first round of voting. The second-round vote was subsequently canceled.

Georgescu, a political outsider who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, denied any ties to Moscow.

However, Romanian intelligence identified Russia as a key actor in the campaign, highlighting TikToks promoting Georgescu that lacked required election content markers, a violation of Romanian law.

The EU investigation will determine whether TikTok violated the Digital Services Act (DSA) by failing to prevent disinformation and enforcing its ban on paid political advertisements. One account reportedly spent $381,000 promoting Georgescu, though he denied financing the campaign.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the need to protect democratic processes, stating, “Whenever we suspect such interference, especially during elections, we must act swiftly and firmly.”

TikTok denies the allegations, asserting that it enforces policies uniformly and acted promptly when Romanian authorities flagged violations.

The EU investigation will examine TikTok’s algorithm and its safeguards against intentional manipulation, as well as its compliance with political advertising policies.

This probe coincides with another EU investigation into TikTok’s compliance with the DSA concerning harmful content and minor protections.

Investigators have ordered the platform to preserve internal records on content recommendation systems and mitigation methods for potential manipulation during EU elections from November 2024 to March 2025.

Romanian intelligence described the pro-Georgescu campaign as a “highly organized” effort involving identical guerrilla-style messages, which saw him rise unexpectedly to a competitive position against reformist candidate Elena Lasconi. Georgescu’s campaign called for ending military aid to Ukraine.

The EU has prioritized the investigation as it continues to scrutinize TikTok’s role in the election and broader concerns about foreign interference in democratic processes.

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