By Evans Momodu
3 minute read
The European Commission has opened formal proceedings against TikTok following concerns about its role in potential election interference, particularly during Romania's presidential election last month.
The probe focuses on TikTok's failure to curb political advertisements, paid political content, and the risks posed by its recommendation algorithms.
This investigation comes under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which regulates how major social media platforms operate in Europe.
On December 5, the Commission ordered TikTok to freeze all data linked to the Romanian election. This followed allegations of Russian interference and the victory of pro-Russian ultranationalist Calin Georgescu in the first round of voting. Romania's top court later annulled the election results due to the accusations.
TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, has defended its record, stating it has safeguarded election integrity across 150 global elections. The platform reiterated its stance of not allowing paid political ads and actively removing misinformation and hate speech content.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the need to protect European democracies from foreign interference, particularly during elections, stating:
"Whenever we suspect such interference, especially during elections, we have to act swiftly and firmly."
The proceedings enable the Commission to take further enforcement measures and consider commitments made by TikTok to address concerns.
While there is no set deadline for the probe, the Commission remains vigilant ahead of Germany's parliamentary elections in February and Croatia's presidential elections starting December 29.
Source: CNN
