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TikTok is now subject to notone , but twoDigital Services Act(DSA ) investigations . The European Unionannouncedon Tuesday that it has opened a formal legal proceeding focused on election risks , specifically in the linguistic context of late election in Romania .
“ As regards both constituent , 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 election , ” the body said in apress exit .
The move followsa information retention orderthe EU sent to TikTok earlier this month as fear swirled about election interference on the short - TV political program after a shocking first rotund result in Romania ’s presidential election .
That retentiveness monastic order covered interior elections in the EU traverse a more than four - calendar month period — from November 24 until March 31 , 2025 — underscore the scope of the Commission ’s alarm as it works to enforce the DSA on a major weapons platform .
The pan - EU online organization framework has , sincelate August 2023 , required prominent platform like TikTok to assess and palliate a grasp of risks that may arise on their services — include risk to election security and democratic processes . Failure to do so could lead to penalties of up to 6 % of global dollar volume .
While no DSA fines have been issued on any platforms so far , back inthe summerTikTok agreed to some product variety which closed an other Commission investigating into addictive purpose concern . And the bloc ’s lawmaker are clearly keen for the regulation to move the needle byactuallyreducing risks for entanglement users .
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Declassified intelligence reports
In the subject of the electoral unconscious process in Romania , however , the opposite seems to be straight : Declassified papers from multiple authorities agenciessuggestTikTok failed to prevent fake accounts from being used to unnaturally boost and algorithmically overstate capacity promoting a pro - Russian , far - right candidate in the first round of golf of voting for the presidency . The body politic ’s top judicature has since repeal the result .
The Commission said the decision to afford an probe on TikTok ’s attack to election security measures in Romania takes into invoice information received from declassified intelligence write up by government self-assurance and “ third - party ” reports .
“ The investigating also trace the analysis of the risk judgement reports defer by TikTok in 2023 and 2024 , the reply to the Commission ’s request for information , and intragroup document provided by TikTok , ” the EU added , reference a raft of data requests DSA hatchet man have sent the company since the regulation ’s rules for very large online platforms ( aka VLOPs ) begin to give last class .
While it rest to be seen what the outcome of this latest proceeding will be , the porta of a formal legal proceeding unlock additional enforcement powers , such as the power to issue interim measuring stick if it feels risk are press .
The grandness the bloc is attaching to this modish investigation is point by the inclusion of a statement by the EU ’s president , Ursula von der Leyen , herself , who wrote : “ We must protect our majority rule from any form of foreign hitch . Whenever we suspect such noise , especially during election , we have to act fleetly and steadfastly . ”
In slightly more emollient input , Henna Virkkunen , the bloc’snew EVP for Tech Sovereignty , Security and Democracy , said she “ look[s ] forrard to shape intimately with TikTok to address any concern that may rise . ”
Reached for a reception , TikTok spokesman Elliott Burton sent a statement in which the ship’s company claimed : “ We ’ve protect the integrity of our weapons platform through over 150 election around the world and continue proactively addressing these industriousness - wide-cut challenge . TikTok has ply the European Commission with extensive selective information regarding these efforts , and we have transparently and publically detailed our rich action . ”
Regarding the Rumanian election specifically , the company claims it detected and disrupted five small covert networks targeting the election — release details of what it foundhere . It alsoclaimsto have removed “ C of M ” of false score and “ 1000000 ” of fake likes and following . TikTok also suggests it has responded promptly to mental object - related postulation from sanction under Rumanian laws to appointment and says it continues to do so .
