The European Commission has escalated its scrutiny of TikTok's role in Romania's presidential election, issuing an urgent request for information from the social media giant amid growing concerns about potential foreign interference in the electoral process.
The Commission's executive vice president for digital policy, Henna Virkkunen, emphasised the gravity of the situation, stating, "We are concerned about mounting indications of coordinated foreign online influence operations targeting ongoing Romanian elections, especially on TikTok."
At the centre of the controversy is independent candidate Călin Georgescu, whose unexpected success in the first round of voting has drawn intense scrutiny. Georgescu, known for his Eurosceptic positions and alleged pro-Russian stance, emerged as a challenger to pro-European liberal candidate Elena Lasconi.
The situation intensified following President Klaus Iohannis's decision to declassify intelligence documents that raised serious questions about the authenticity of Georgescu's social media support. According to the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), investigators uncovered a sophisticated network primarily operating on TikTok that had remained largely inactive since 2016 before suddenly showing significant activity in the two weeks preceding the election.
The financial scale of the alleged operation is substantial, with intelligence reports indicating approximately one million euros were channelled into the campaign by a single individual supporting Georgescu's candidacy. TikTok has reportedly acknowledged receiving &euro;362,500 from this source, with individual reposts allegedly commanding payments of up to &euro;950.
The European Commission's urgent inquiry, issued under the Digital Services Act (DSA), represents the second such request to TikTok regarding the Romanian elections, with a stringent 24-hour response deadline. This follows a broader retention order requiring TikTok to preserve all relevant internal documentation, including details about its recommendation system and political content monetisation practices.
Of particular concern to investigators are the apparent parallels between the observed online campaign patterns and previous influence operations attributed to state actors in other Eastern European contexts, notably Ukraine. While the declassified documents stop short of explicitly naming Russia, they point to methodologies consistent with state-sponsored influence campaigns.
The developments have sent ripples through both Romanian domestic politics and European Union institutions, raising broader questions about social media platforms' vulnerability to coordinated influence operations during electoral processes.

Romanians celebrating Constitutional Court of Romania's annulling election results of first round

EU probes TikTok’s potential role in foreign meddling in Romania’s presidential race

TikTok Under EU Lens Amid Romanian Election Interference Fears

EU probes TikTok’s potential role in foreign meddling in Romania’s presidential race

December 7, 2024 | 09:34 IST