LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators on Thursday ordered TikTok to retain all information related to Romania’s presidential election, after the country’s top defense body released declassified intelligence alleging that Moscow had mounted an online campaign to … to support a candidate who emerged as a surprising frontrunner.
As election controversy rages, the 27-nation bloc’s executive branch is using its expansive digital rulebook to intensify scrutiny of the video-sharing platform’s role.
Far-right populist Calin Georgescu emerged from obscurity to top the polls in the first round of Romania’s presidential election on November 24, roiling the European Union and the NATO country. In an unprecedented move, President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday ordered the release of the intelligence files alleging that a sprawling network of thousands of social media accounts on platforms such as TikTok and Telegram are promoting Georgescu-Roegen’s content.
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The European Commission said it had issued a “preservation order” to TikTok and required it to “freeze and preserve data” related to so-called systemic risks that the video-sharing platform’s service could pose to “electoral processes and civil discourse” in the EU.
TikTok has “already cooperated with the Commission and will continue to do so,” the company said in a statement. “We look forward to establishing the facts in light of some of the speculation and inaccurate reports we have seen.”
The commission said TikTok must maintain internal documents and information about the design and function of its systems that recommend content to users. It must also keep records on how it addresses the risk of fake accounts being used in a coordinated way to manipulate users.
Officials told a daily briefing in Brussels that the committee had received the intelligence files.
“I can confirm that we have received these documents and are currently working on them,” said commission spokesman Thomas Regnier.
Henna Virkkunen, executive vice-chair of the Commission on Technical Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said in a statement: “This detention order is an important step in helping investigators establish the facts and complements our formal requests for information seeking information following the declassification of classified documents yesterday.”
The Commission is using the Digital Services Act to scrutinize TikTok, which many observers say played a major role in Georgescu-Roegen’s success in the first round of voting. The DSA is a sweeping set of regulations that came into effect last year and aims to clean up major online platforms and protect internet users under the threat of hefty fines.
“We have a tool at our disposal to ensure that the very large online platforms can play their role and ensure that their services are not misused to influence voters and people,” Regnier said.
On Sunday, Georgescu-Romania will face pro-EU reformer Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party in a final vote.
In releasing the declassified files, the intelligence services said the information they obtained “revealed an aggressive promotional campaign” to increase and accelerate Georgescu-Roegen’s popularity. According to the files, Romanian secret services alleged that a TikTok user paid $381,000 to other users to promote Georgescu-Roegen’s content.
The Commission has already asked TikTok twice for information about its recommendation systems related to elections, including a second request on Friday for additional information on how it manages the risks of “information manipulation.”
Earlier this week, under questioning by a committee of European Parliament lawmakers, TikTok executives said they had exposed several election influence networks, including one that supported Georgescu-Roegen but defended the platform’s election integrity practices.
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Associated Press writer Stephen McGrath in Romania contributed to this report.
