The head of Romania’s telecommunications regulator calls for immediate suspension of TikTok

Pavel Popescu, deputy chairman of telecommunications regulatory authority ANCOM, called for the suspension of Chinese social media app TikTok from November 28 until government agencies investigate alleged manipulation of the election process.

The call came after an almost unknown independent candidate. Călin Georgescu, He received approximately 23 percent of the votes in the first round of the presidential election First place was achieved in the competition held on November 24. Her success and sudden popularity was apparently due to her use of TikTok, but the candidate no campaign contributions or expenditures declared.

“I request the suspension of the TikTok platform on Romanian territory from 28.11.2024 until the investigation of state institutions into the manipulation of the electoral process is completed from 24.11.2024 (1st Round, presidential elections) I ANCOM deputy chairman Pavel Popescu wrote on Facebook : “We will follow official procedures regarding this matter.”

According to the official, while thousands of externally funded accounts worked to promote Călin Georgescu with the help of TikTok algorithms, the company took no action and completely ignored the complaints of Romanian officials.

ANCOM recently announced that the Romanian Permanent Electoral Authority, which monitors election processes, sent notices to TikTok highlighting various irregularities regarding the distribution of illegal content and requested the necessary measures to ensure the legal conduct of Romania’s election campaign. However, it was stated that platform representatives did not take action immediately. HotNews.ro.

Romania and TikTok

Romanian officials are still reeling from the shocking rise of independent candidate Călin Georgescu. Romanian president Klaus Iohannis called a meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defense on November 28 to analyze potential national security risks posed by the actions of state and non-state cyber actors on IT&C infrastructures supporting the election process.

In response, TikTok stated that it does not accept paid political ads. “We also impose bans on advertisers identified as politicians and political parties who cannot create advertising accounts or access advertising functions,” the social platform said. The statement was included.

“This PR exercise by them is at odds with the fact that the vast majority of content remains unflagged,” think tank Expert Forum said. According to the NGO, the accounts are superficially verified because they are claimed to be for entertainment purposes. They are actually making political propaganda.

Other government agencies are also reacting to suspicions of election manipulation.

Valentin Jucan, deputy chairman of the National Audiovisual Council (CNA), called for the resignation of Social Democrat digitalization minister Bogdan Ivan, accusing him of visiting TikTok’s headquarters to discuss preparations for the presidential and parliamentary elections without informing the relevant election organization. authorities. Ministry before the election It was claimed that he blocked Dozens of accounts created by organized networks trying to promote a particular candidate in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.

“In today’s meeting with the European Commission, TikTok, ANCOM and AEP, I was very surprised to learn that the minister visited Dublin to TikTok headquarters on 3 October to discuss preparations for the presidential and parliamentary elections. He left without informing the relevant authorities.” “We don’t know what authority he has to organize elections or what the consequences are,” Jucan said on Facebook.

TikTok’s Voter Reach

Călin Georgescu isn’t the only one benefiting from TikTok’s influence on election campaigns. The Chinese app likely helped the far-right party Alternative for Germany in this autumn’s elections, according to reports. The party was twice as effective at reaching first-time voters as all other parties combined, and was particularly appealing to young people.

Numerous other countries have begun restricting the practice. Earlier this year, the US House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill that could force ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, to sell the app or face a complete ban in the US. However, despite security concerns, the application plays an important role in the 2024 elections, Voice of America reports. Ziarul Malinciar.

Many countries and regions have announced or have already implemented partial or total bans of TikTok. In the spring, Australia and the United Kingdom banned the use of the app on government officials’ devices. The European Parliament, European Commission and European Council also banned TikTok from staff devices, citing cybersecurity concerns.

Similarly, in the spring, the French government banned the use of “entertainment” applications such as TikTok, Netflix and Instagram on work phones used by 2.5 million public servants. On November 6, the Canadian government called for TikTok to cease its domestic operations.

In 2020, India banned TikTok and other Chinese apps, making it one of the few countries to impose a complete ban even on its citizens’ personal devices.

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(Photo source: Prykhodov | dreamstime.com)