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EU opens investigation into TikTok and Romanian elections

Politiko 2024-12-18 14:50:22

EU opens investigation into TikTok and Romanian elections

The European Union is bringing out the big guns regarding TikTok's handling of election content.

The European Commission announced on Tuesday a formal investigation into how the Chinese-owned platform managed the risks of election interference — particularly in Romania. The move has already ignited a fight over online freedom of speech between Europe’s far-right and its main political groups.

Romanian authorities in the past two weeks accused TikTok of “irregularities” on its platform after a shock victory for pro-Russian ultranationalist candidate Călin Georgescu in the first round of Romania’s presidential election in late November. Romania’s highest court later annulled the election.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen weighed in on Tuesday: “Following serious indications that foreign actors interfered in the Romanian presidential election using TikTok, we are now thoroughly investigating whether TikTok has breached the Digital Services Act [DSA] by failing to address such risks,” she said, announcing a formal investigation — a rare public comment from the EU chief on such an investigation.

The escalation comes after weeks of wrangling between European and Romanian officials and TikTok executives. At the center of the saga are reports and investigations that Georgescu received a boost from a network of paid influencers and bots, and allegations that TikTok failed to properly handle these threats. Romanian authorities this month declassified a series of documents that suggested these campaigns were strikingly similar to Russian influence operations in Ukraine and Moldova.

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