The European Commission has initiated formal proceedings against social media giant TikTok over concerns of its failure to prevent election interference, particularly in the recent Romanian presidential vote. The Commission is focusing on TikTok's policies regarding political advertisements, paid political content, recommendation systems, and the potential risks of manipulation.
Following the Romanian election, the Commission directed TikTok to freeze data related to the election under the Digital Services Act. This move came after allegations of Russian meddling and the controversial victory of a pro-Russia ultranationalist candidate in the election.
TikTok, owned by China's Bytedance, has defended its platform's integrity, citing its track record of safeguarding over 150 elections globally. The company stated that it does not allow paid political ads and actively removes content that violates its policies on misinformation and hate speech.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the need to protect democracies from foreign interference, especially during elections. The Commission's investigation was prompted by suspicions of foreign actors meddling in the Romanian election and aims to prevent similar incidents in upcoming elections, such as the German parliamentary election and the Croatian presidential election.
The formal proceedings empower the Commission to take further enforcement actions and consider commitments from TikTok. There is no set deadline for the completion of the investigation, highlighting the seriousness with which the Commission is approaching the issue of election interference.
