EU Launches Investigation into TikTok Over Alleged Election Interference in Romania
The European Commission has launched an investigation into TikTok, the popular Chinese social media platform, over concerns that it may have violated the Digital Services Act (DSA) during the recent Romanian presidential election. This marks the first time the Commission has initiated an investigation involving a national regulator from the outset, with the Irish media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, already involved due to separate concerns about TikTok’s handling of election-related disinformation in Ireland. The investigation centers on allegations that TikTok failed to adequately assess and mitigate risks related to election integrity, specifically regarding the potential for foreign interference and manipulation of its platform. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the importance of safeguarding democratic processes, stating, "We have to protect our democracies from foreign interference. If we suspect a rule violation, we act."
The Commission’s investigation will focus on two key areas: TikTok’s recommender system and its policies on political advertising and paid political content. Concerns have been raised about the potential for coordinated inauthentic behavior and automated exploitation of the platform, particularly through its powerful algorithm. The Commission suspects that TikTok may not have sufficiently addressed the risks posed by regional and linguistic factors within the Romanian context. This scrutiny follows reports from Romanian authorities, including declassified intelligence, and analysis of risk assessment reports submitted by TikTok in 2023 and 2024. The Commission will also examine the platform’s responses to information requests and internal documents provided by TikTok.
This investigation is not TikTok’s first encounter with EU regulators. The platform has been subject to two previous investigations, one of which concluded last August after TikTok committed to various changes. However, this new probe signals the Commission’s continued vigilance regarding online platforms’ compliance with the DSA, particularly in the context of democratic elections. The collaboration with Coimisiún na Meán, Ireland’s digital services coordinator, underscores the increasingly interconnected nature of online regulation within the EU. The Irish regulator was already investigating TikTok after a lobby group, Global Witness, revealed it successfully submitted disinformation ads related to the Irish general election, highlighting potential vulnerabilities in the platform’s moderation processes.
The Global Witness sting operation involved submitting 28 ads, half in Irish, containing blatant falsehoods about voting procedures. Surprisingly, TikTok approved a significant portion of these ads, despite its stated ban on all political advertising. This raised concerns about the platform’s ability to effectively detect and remove disinformation, particularly in languages other than English. Global Witness emphasized the obvious nature of the falsehoods, suggesting that even basic human review should have identified them. While TikTok ultimately blocked the ads before publication, the incident exposed potential weaknesses in its content moderation system.
TikTok maintains that it has taken significant steps to protect the integrity of its platform during elections worldwide. The company asserts it has proactively addressed industry-wide challenges related to misinformation and election interference. A TikTok spokesperson highlighted the platform’s extensive cooperation with the European Commission and other authorities, stating, "We’ve protected the integrity of our platform through over 150 elections around the world and continue proactively addressing these industry-wide challenges." TikTok claims to have provided the Commission with detailed information regarding its efforts and publicly detailed its robust actions.
TikTok also emphasizes its ban on paid political advertising and its proactive removal of content violating its policies on misinformation, harassment, and hate speech. The company is expected to argue that it detected and disrupted several covert networks targeting the Romanian election and removed numerous fake accounts and engagements. It will also likely highlight its responsiveness to content-related requests from Romanian authorities. However, the Commission’s investigation will delve into whether these measures were sufficient to meet the requirements of the DSA and effectively mitigate the risks of election interference. The investigation’s outcome will have significant implications for TikTok’s operations within the EU and could set a precedent for future enforcement of the DSA regarding online platform responsibility in protecting democratic processes.