The European Commission has launched a formal investigation under its robust digital laws to examine TikTok’s alleged involvement in undermining the integrity of Romania’s recent presidential election. The electoral process in this EU and NATO member state was disrupted amid claims of “aggressive hybrid action” by Russia, aimed at subverting the first round of voting in November.
Romania’s constitutional court recently annulled the first round of the election just before the scheduled run-off. The initial round had unexpectedly been won by far-right candidate Calin Georgescu. Authorities have focused on TikTok, a Chinese-owned social media platform with growing influence in Europe, as a central figure in the controversy.
Georgescu’s unexpected rise to prominence was largely credited to a viral campaign on TikTok, which brought him into the limelight. Romanian officials promptly noted that this campaign did not adhere to electoral regulations. The European Commission now suspects that TikTok’s “recommender systems” may have been vulnerable to “coordinated inauthentic manipulation or automated exploitation.”
Additionally, the Commission is scrutinizing TikTok’s policies on political advertising and paid content, following reports that influencers were compensated to promote Georgescu without proper disclosure of sponsorship or political motivation.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen commented, “Following serious indications that foreign actors interfered in the Romanian presidential elections by using TikTok, we are now thoroughly investigating whether TikTok has violated the Digital Services Act by failing to tackle such risks. It should be crystal clear that in the EU all online platforms, including TikTok, must be held accountable.”
This investigation is part of the Digital Services Act, a comprehensive regulation aimed at overseeing the operations of online platforms, which came into effect last year. TikTok has previously faced several investigations under this legislation and has made efforts to comply with its requirements. Last week, the Commission ordered TikTok to retain data related to the election collected between November this year and March next year for potential future investigations.
During a European Parliament hearing on December 3, TikTok representatives defended their practices. Brie Pegum, TikTok’s global head of product, authenticity, and transparency, stated that in the three months leading up to the Romanian election, the platform had removed over 66,000 fake accounts, 7 million fake likes, and prevented an additional 40 million fake likes. TikTok also removed 10 million fake followers, blocked 216,000 spam accounts, and eliminated 1,000 accounts impersonating Romanian political candidates.
Pegum also mentioned that TikTok had shut down two clusters of accounts supporting candidates, including Georgescu, for not complying with rules that require political content to be clearly labeled. Caroline Greer, TikTok’s top lobbyist in Europe, addressed concerns about user data potentially being transmitted to China. She highlighted TikTok’s Project Clover, which ensures that European user data is stored within Europe and monitored by a third-party cybersecurity firm 24/7.
Declassified intelligence from outgoing President Klaus Iohannis revealed that paid support for Georgescu on TikTok was not marked as election-related content, unlike the content for other candidates. One TikTok account reportedly spent $381,000 in a single month from October 24 to pay influencers supporting Georgescu.
Authorities also reported over 85,000 attempts to hack electoral data systems before and on the day of the first round, attributing these efforts to “state-sponsored actors.”
Since the election’s annulment, media reports indicate that influencers allegedly involved in the manipulation fled Romania as tax authorities began to pursue them. According to Politico, some influencers posted farewell messages near land borders or on airplanes, signaling their departure before financial investigations began.
