Brussels Steps In to Mediate TikTok-Romania Election Dispute

Romanian Official Moves to Block TikTok Amid Election Interference Concerns

Romanian authorities are taking a hard look at TikTok, with Pavel Popescu, Vice President of the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications of Romania (ANCOM), announcing plans to initiate procedures to suspend the platform in the country.

In a statement posted to Facebook on Wednesday, Popescu declared, “I request, starting … 28.11.2024, the suspension of the TikTok platform on the territory of Romania, until the completion of the investigation by the state institutions regarding the manipulation of the electoral process.” His remarks quickly garnered attention, with local outlets such as PLACEHOLDER5280f95ebad9c6e5 and PLACEHOLDER6664c0b009ba8f80 amplifying his call. However, Popescu’s Facebook account was deactivated later that same day.

Meanwhile, Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis is scheduled to meet with senior national security officials on Thursday to discuss threats posed by “state and non-state cyber actors.” Though Iohannis did not single out TikTok, the platform has come under scrutiny amid broader concerns about the integrity of Romania’s ongoing presidential election.

TikTok, owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, has denied accusations that it played any role in manipulating the electoral process. In a letter obtained by POLITICO on Thursday, the company stated, “To date, we have found no evidence of a Covert Influence Operation on our platform within the last several weeks for the ongoing presidential election in Romania, nor evidence of foreign influence.” The letter also highlighted that TikTok had “[removed] over 150 impersonation accounts linked to [candidate Călin Georgescu] and more than 650 accounts linked to other candidates.”

At the same time, the European Commission is getting involved. According to Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier, the EU has received a formal request to investigate TikTok’s handling of the Romanian elections under the Digital Services Act, its flagship social media regulation law.

The developments underscore rising concerns across Europe about the role of social media platforms in democratic processes, as governments and regulators scramble to address potential interference in the digital age.