European Commission orders TikTok to retain information following controversial Romanian election News
antonbe / Pixabay
European Commission orders TikTok to retain information following controversial Romanian election

The European Commission announced on Thursday that it would step up monitoring of the TikTok platform’s compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA). The move comes in the context of the ongoing Romanian elections and aggressive online campaign of front-runner candidate Calin Georgescu.

The European Commission issued an order, obliging TikTok to freeze all information regarding “actual or foreseeable systemic risks its service could pose on electoral processes and civic discourse in the EU.” This retention order permits the Commission to preserve evidence in case of further investigations of TikTok’s compliance with its obligations under the DSA. Such obligations include the way this platform addresses the risk of intentional manipulation and the prohibition of monetization for features of promotion of political content. Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy said the Commission is “intensifying contacts with digital and cyber regulators across Europe in light of emerging evidence of systematic inauthentic activity.” The order concerns both the current elections in Romania and future elections in the EU as a whole.

The Commission decided to issue the retention order due to declassified information by the Romanian government on foreign interference from Russia in its ongoing elections. The Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis, disclosed evidence collected by the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The declassified information revealed suspicions that Georgescu’s online campaign on platforms like TikTok was under Russian influence. On December 3, the Romanian Constitutional Court validated the results of the first rounds of elections. This decision followed allegations of TikTok coverage of Georgescu’s campaign, with candidates claiming election fraud. Georgescu is a known supporter of Putin and has a controversial position concerning the war in Ukraine.

This is not the first time the European Commission has acted regarding TikTok’s actions under the DSA. The Commission had initiated formal proceedings and issued requests for information against TikTok earlier this year. Now, meetings of the European Board for Digital Services Coordinators are expected to establish further steps of action, as the second round of Romanian’s disputed elections will take place on December 8.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Watergate burglary trial began

On January 8, 1973, seven men went on trial in Washington DC in connection with a June 17, 1972 break-in to Democratic Party headquarters in the Watergate Hotel. Read more about the Watergate burglary and cover-up.

France approves self-determination for Algeria

On January 8, 1961, voters in France overwhelmingly approved self-determination for Algeria. By a 75 percent margin, French citizens voted in favor of a referendum which allowed the colony of Algeria to determine its own future. On July 1, 1961, Algerians elected to become an independent nation by a near-unanimous margin. These events concluded nearly a decade of fighting in the French-Algerian War. Learn more about the history of the French-Algerian War.