WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The European Union on Tuesday announced that it has opened a formal proceeding against TikTok focused on election risks, specifically in the context of recent elections in Romania.
The Commission said it has opened formal proceedings against TikTok for a suspected breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA) in relation to TikTok's obligation to properly assess and mitigate systemic risks linked to election integrity, notably in the context of the recent Romanian presidential elections on November 24.
Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, 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. 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. It should be crystal clear that in the EU, all online platforms, including TikTok, must be held accountable.'
The probe will focus on TikTok's recommender systems, notably the 'risks linked to the coordinated inauthentic manipulation or automated exploitation of the service,' per the Commission. The EU will also look at TikTok's policies on political advertisements and paid-for political content.
One of the suspicions the Commission is going to investigate is whether TikTok has diligently mitigated the risks posed by specific regional and linguistic aspects of national elections.
The second-round vote was cancelled earlier this month after declassified intelligence documents revealed 25,000 TikTok accounts were suddenly activated weeks before polls opened in the first round.
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