EU investigates TikTok over alleged Russian meddling in Romanian vote

Romania's election was cancelled after thousands of TikTok accounts were activated backing a little-known candidate.

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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.

The accounts backed the independent candidate Calin Georgescu, a largely unknown far-right campaigner who described Russia's Vladimir Putin as a "patriot and a leader", although he denied being a fan.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said democracies had to be protected from foreign meddling.

EU regulators will assess if TikTok's advertising policies and the systems it uses to recommend content to users are in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA), which is aimed at preventing the spread of disinformation and halting illegal activities online.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2v13nz202o

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