The EU said on Tuesday, December 17, it had opened a formal investigation into TikTok following allegations the platform was used by Russia to sway the result of Romania's later annulled presidential election. The probe, under a mammoth law known as the Digital Services Act (DSA), centres on concerns the short-video app failed to "assess and mitigate systemic risks" linked to election integrity, the European Commission said.
"We must protect our democracies from any kind of foreign interference. Whenever we suspect such interference, especially during elections, we have to act swiftly and firmly," said commission chief Ursula von der Leyen. "Following serious indications that foreign actors interfered in the Romanian presidential elections by using TikTok, we are now thoroughly investigating whether TikTok has violated the Digital Services Act by failing to tackle such risks." The DSA forces the world's largest tech firms to do more to protect European users online and clamp down on illegal content.
Far-right candidate Calin Georgescu unexpectedly topped the first round of voting for Romania's presidency on November 24, sparking alarm in the NATO and EU member that borders Ukraine. The country's constitutional court later annulled the electoral process by ruling it was "marred... by multiple irregularities and violations of electoral legislation."
The move followed a spate of intelligence documents declassified by the presidency detailing allegations against Georgescu and Russia, including claims of "massive" social media promotion and cyberattacks.
The EU said the decision to open the probe was in part based on declassified intelligence reports by the Romanian authorities. The investigation would focus on the TikTok's "recommender systems" – which uses data to suggest users content they might like – and its policies on political advertisements and paid-for political content, commission said.
The European executive, which acts as the EU's digital watchdog under the DSA, stressed that the opening of formal proceedings does not prejudge its outcome and there is no deadline for the probe's completion. The probe is the third the commission has launched against TikTok, which risks fines of up to 6% of its global turnover.