European Union regulators have launched an investigation into popular video-sharing platform TikTok to determine if it violated the bloc's digital rulebook during Romania's presidential election. The scrutiny comes after Romania's top court annulled the results of the initial voting round, which saw an unknown far-right candidate unexpectedly leading the race.
The court's decision followed the declassification of documents revealing alleged Russian interference through a social media campaign aimed at promoting the long shot candidate, Calin Georgescu. The European Commission, responsible for enforcing the EU's Digital Services Act, is now examining whether TikTok failed to address these risks.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the importance of holding online platforms like TikTok accountable in the EU. The Digital Services Act aims to regulate social media platforms and safeguard users from illegal content, with TikTok being instructed to preserve all election-related information.
The investigation will focus on TikTok's content recommendation systems, particularly in relation to coordinated manipulation and automated exploitation. The platform's policies on political advertisements and paid-for political content are also under scrutiny.
Declassified files alleged an aggressive promotion campaign on TikTok to boost Georgescu's popularity, including payments totaling $381,000 to influencers. TikTok, however, stated that it has safeguarded the integrity of its platform during over 150 elections worldwide and is actively addressing industry-wide challenges.
TikTok clarified that it does not accept paid political ads and removes content violating misinformation policies. The investigation could lead to TikTok implementing corrective measures or facing fines of up to 6% of its global revenue.
