• The EU is launching a probe into TikTok following suspected foreign election interference
• The investigation will examine political ads and TikTok’s algorithm
• Romania cancelled its presidential election as a result of a spate of cyberattacks

Regulators from the European Union have revealed that they are investigating whether TikTok breached the Digital Services Act in regards to its ‘obligation to properly assess and mitigate systemic risks linked to election integrity’, particularly in regards to the Romanian election.

The investigation will focus on TikTok’s ‘recommender systems’, and the risks associated with ‘coordinated inauthentic manipulation or automated exploitation of the service’. Also being investigated, are TikTok’s policies surrounding paid for political content and advertising.

The Romanian election was recentl annulled following a series of cyberattacks which targeted electoral systems. In the run up to the first round of the contest, the electoral systems suffered over 85,000 attacks, in which access credentials for electoral sites were stolen by threat actors.

Freedom of speech or election interference?

The probe has already sparked outrage from members of far-right groups in the European Parliament, with Poland’s Patryk Jaki calling the investigation ‘censorship’ and France’s Catherine Griset accusing the EU of looking like a ‘totalitarian regime’ in its fight against misinformation.

Foreign interference into elections has been seen across the world this year, and social media has been a catalyst for the spread of propaganda and misinformation. This EU investigation could potentially lead to action against the platform and set a precedent for other tech organizations.

“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,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the EU Commission.

“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.”

Via Politico

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