The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into TikTok for alleged violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA) following attempts to interfere in the Romanian presidential election. This follows serious indications that foreign actors may have used TikTok to influence the election, in particular by supporting far-right candidate Calin Georgescu.

Romanian authorities revealed that 25,000 TikTok accounts were suddenly activated a few weeks before the first round of the election, massively promoting Georgescu without properly tagging election content. This coordinated manipulation raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process and TikTok's ability to manage systemic election risks.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: "We must protect our democracies from any form of foreign interference. Whenever we suspect such interference, especially during elections, we must act quickly and decisively. This is the perfect opportunity to test the effectiveness of the Digital Services Act in real life, which is exactly what it was created for.

The investigation will focus on TikTok's referral systems and its policies on political advertising and paid content. The Commission will examine whether TikTok failed in its duty of care to mitigate the risks posed by specific regional and linguistic aspects of national elections.

This case highlights the critical importance of transparency and accountability of online platforms in protecting the integrity of democratic processes in Europe.

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