European Union demands TikTok response to Romanian files suggesting Moscow’s role in vote
LONDON — The European Union said Friday it had sent TikTok an urgent request for additional information on Romanian intelligence files suggesting that Moscow had coordinated influencers on its platform to promote a candidate who had become a favorite in the presidential election.
The 27-nation bloc’s executive branch is using its sweeping digital rules to examine the role of the video-sharing platform in the election, which ended with the Calin Georgescu, far-right populist came from nowhere to take first place in the first round of voting.
Declassified files released by Romanian authorities earlier this week suggest a pro-Russian campaign used the messaging app Telegram to recruit thousands of TikTok users to promote Georgescu.
It is unclear from intelligence information whether Georgescu was aware of or contributed to the alleged campaign.
European Commission officials said they had asked the video-sharing platform to comment on the files and provide information on actions taken in response. This is the second time the commission has requested information from TikTok since the first round of the November 24 election, and it comes a day after ordering the Chinese platform to maintain all election-related records and evidence.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We are concerned about growing indications of coordinated foreign influence operations online targeting the ongoing Romanian elections, particularly on TikTok,” said Henna Virkkunen, executive vice president of the commission for technological sovereignty, security and democracy, in an article on X.
TikTok has 24 hours to respond to the EU request, officials said at a press briefing in Brussels. Georgescu will face pro-European reformer Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party during a final vote on Sunday.
“TikTok needs to increase its resources to counter information operations before the election weekend,” Virkkunen said.
Georgescu’s unexpected rise in the polls has plunged the European Union and the NATO country into turmoil and prompted authorities to release the files.
Romanian intelligence services claimed that a TikTok user paid $381,000 to influencers on the platform to promote content about Georgescu. They said they obtained information that “revealed an aggressive promotional campaign” aimed at increasing and accelerating the candidate’s popularity.
Some of the thousands of social media accounts used in the campaign were allegedly created years ago but only activated in the weeks leading up to the first round, records show.
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AP writer Stephen McGrath in Bucharest contributed to this report.
