The EU investigates TikTok for alleged Russian interference in the Romanian vote

The European Union executive has opened a formal investigation into TikTok due to “serious indications” of foreign interference in the recent Romanian presidential election using the video-sharing platform.

The second round of voting was canceled earlier this month after declassified intelligence documents revealed that 25,000 TikTok accounts were suddenly activated weeks before polls opened in the first round.

The accounts backed independent candidate Calin Georgescu, a largely unknown far-right activist who described Russia’s Vladimir Putin as a “patriot and leader,” although he denied being a fan.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said democracies needed to be protected from foreign meddling.

EU regulators will assess whether TikTok’s advertising policies and the systems it uses to recommend content to users breach the Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to prevent the spread of misinformation and stop illegal activities online.

“Every time we suspect such interference, especially during elections, “We must act quickly and firmly,” von der Leyen said in a statement..

“It should be very clear that in the EU, all online platforms, including TikTok, must be held accountable.”

Georgescu’s election campaign focused primarily on TikTok and while Moscow has denied interference, Romanian intelligence said Russia had identified the NATO member state as an enemy state and a priority target.

The TikToks promoting the candidate were not flagged as election content, which is illegal in Romania.

One account paid $381,000 (£300,000) on posts from Georgescu, who denied spending money on the platform.

TikTok has vehemently denied the allegations, insisting that “it is categorically false to claim that (Georgescu’s) account was treated differently than any other candidate.”

Although the platform allows publishing and sharing electoral content organically, paid political advertising is prohibited.

After the runoff was canceled, TikTok said that “when we were contacted by Romanian authorities to flag a series of videos that lacked identifiers… we took action on those videos within 24 hours.”

Part of the EU investigation will look at the risks associated with “automated exploitation” of TikTok’s algorithm, which provides personalized content on a user’s “For You” page based on their interests and how they interact with the app.

It will also evaluate TikTok’s policies on political ads.

On December 5, the EU ordered TikTok to retain internal documents about how it recommended content to users and any methods it had to mitigate “intentional manipulation” of its platform.

This includes content related to any national elections in the EU between November 24, 2024 and March 31, 2025, including Romania, Ireland and Croatia.

The EU said it would carry out the investigation “as a matter of priority.”

It is being carried out alongside a separate investigation into TikTok’s possible breach of the DSA regarding harmful content and the protection of minors.

After the first round of the Romanian presidential election, Romanian intelligence said that Georgescu’s sudden jump in popularity was due to a “highly organized” and “guerrilla” campaign on social media, of accounts sending identical messages.

Before the second round was canceled, he was competing neck and neck with the reformist candidate Elena Lasconi.

Georgescu had campaigned to end political and military aid to Ukraine.

He is a conspiracy theorist who does not believe in moon landings or the Covid-19 pandemic.