TikTok CEO Called to EU Parliament Over Influence in Surprising Romania Election

“Romania serves as a wake-up call: Radicalization and disinformation are risks that can occur anywhere in Europe, leading to dangerous outcomes,” said Hayer, an ally of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Hayer’s statement comes just days after the surprising election win by Călin Georgescu. Running without the support of any major political party, Georgescu’s popularity had been underestimated by polls. However, analysts are now focusing on a significant TikTok campaign he conducted in the days leading up to the vote, which appears to have played a pivotal role in his success.

“We believe TikTok was misused in his campaign, involving a network of fake accounts mobilized for his benefit,” stated Bogdan Manolea, the executive director of the Romanian digital rights group Association for Technology and Internet.

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu also raised concerns on Tuesday about the financing behind Georgescu’s TikTok campaign. “It’s a system—I’m not sure about its legality. What I do understand is how it was utilized. The funding source, in my opinion, needs to be investigated. ‘Follow the money,’ as they say,” Ciolacu remarked.

Although questions abound, there’s currently no evidence suggesting the involvement of Russia or other state actors in Georgescu’s campaign.

Manolea emphasized that TikTok should have detected “the surge of thousands of fake accounts” and held the platform accountable under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).

Meanwhile, calls are growing for greater scrutiny of TikTok, with a top EU lawmaker demanding the platform’s CEO appear before the European Parliament.