The European Commission has begun investigating interference in the elections in Romania through the TikTok application

The European Commission has opened formal proceedings against TikTok on suspicion of breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA). The investigation was initiated after the presidential elections in Romania, where the results could have been influenced by external players via TikTok.

This is stated on the European Commission website.

The main aspects of the investigation by the European Commission will focus on the following risks:

→ Using TikTok algorithms for possible manipulation and automated intervention.

→ TikTok's policies on political advertising and sponsored political content.

One of the key issues will be assessing whether TikTok took into account the regional and linguistic specificities of national elections when mitigating risks.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed the importance of swift action to protect democratic processes: “We must protect our democracies from any external interference. There are serious suspicions that foreign actors interfered in the presidential elections in Romania through TikTok. We are closely examining whether the platform violated the Digital Services Act by failing to take appropriate measures. In the EU, all online platforms, including TikTok, must be held accountable.”

The Commission will continue to collect evidence, including TikTok's internal documents, information about algorithms and data that the platform must retain under the order of December 5. The investigation also involves cooperation with the Irish regulator, as TikTok is registered in this country.

If the suspicions are confirmed, TikTok may be held liable.

The order to retain TikTok's data was received due to possible risks to electoral processes in EU countries from November 24, 2024 to March 31, 2025. This is the third investigation against TikTok initiated by the Commission in 2024.

The DSA is a key EU tool to ensure the transparency and accountability of large online platforms (VLOPs) and to protect democratic processes.

Previously, the Romanian President declassified documents related to the election campaign of far-right candidate Colin Georgexu. The documents reveal how paid content in support of the politician was promoted on TikTok without being flagged as election campaigning, in violation of the platform’s own rules and Romanian electoral law. Other candidates' content was subject to stricter control.

On November 28, a meeting of the Romanian Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) accused TikTok of favoritism towards independent presidential candidate Călin Georgescu.

Georgescu claimed to have spent «zero» on campaigning, denying that he had campaigned at all.