Declassified intelligence papers showed that 25,000 TikTok accounts were abruptly activated weeks before votes opened in the first round, leading to the cancellation of the second-round vote earlier this month.
Calin Georgescu, a little-known far-right politician who referred to Vladimir Putin of Russia as a “patriot and a leader” but denied being a fan, was supported by the accounts.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, stated that democracies must be shielded from outside interference.
EU authorities will evaluate whether TikTok’s advertising guidelines and the algorithms it employs to suggest content to viewers violate the Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to stop unlawful activity online and stop the spread of false information.
“We must take action whenever we suspect such meddling, particularly during elections.”
