Unlock Editor’s Digest for free
FT editor Roula Khalaf has chosen her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The City of Brussels says TikTok will “appropriately assess and mitigate systemic risks” over how “foreign actors” allegedly used the social media platform to interfere in Romania’s recent elections. A formal investigation has been launched for failing to comply with EU digital rules.
The survey comes after pro-Vladimir Putin candidate Karin Georgescu went viral on Chinese platforms and unexpectedly came out on top in the first round of presidential voting last month. It started after a complaint from a media watchdog.
Romanian authorities announced that a court had halted the second round of elections because the Russian government had tried to undermine the polls.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday: “Following serious indications that foreign actors used TikTok to interfere in Romania’s presidential election, we have now confirmed that TikTok is “We are conducting a thorough investigation to see if they are violating the Digital Services Act by failing to address risks.” . In the EU, it is clear that all online platforms, including TikTok, must be held accountable. ”
The commission identified risks related to TikTok’s systems for encouraging users to post, particularly the risks of “systematic manipulation and automated abuse of the service” and its policies on suppressing political and paid advertising. He said his investigation would focus on how TikTok manages its operations. – For political content.
Investigators in Brussels suspect that TikTok failed to “diligently” mitigate “the risks posed by certain regional and linguistic aspects of national elections,” the commission said.
“We are confident that our investigation into TikTok’s practices will contribute to a safer and more trusted online environment for all EU citizens,” said Hena Virkunen, the bloc’s technical director.
Companies that violate the Digital Services Act, which aims to set rules for how platforms should police the internet, face fines of up to 6% of their global annual revenue.
TikTok defended its track record of monitoring more than 150 elections around the world and said it continues to “aggressively” address industry-wide challenges when it comes to curbing online misinformation.
It added: “TikTok has provided the European Commission with extensive information about these efforts and has transparently and publicly detailed our strong commitments.”
“We do not accept paid political advertising, actively remove content that violates our policies on misinformation, harassment and hate speech, and continue to work with the European Commission and local and national authorities to request and discuss concerns.”
Romanian authorities claimed that TikTok’s algorithm “amplified” Georgescu’s content at the expense of other rivals, according to the regulator’s vice president Valentin Alexandre Jukan.
The country’s Supreme Court canceled the presidential election over concerns that Russian agents used TikTok to promote Georgescu. “We are very concerned about the events in Romania,” said a senior EU official with direct knowledge of the TikTok investigation.
