Nothing is going well for TikTok. In Romania, the platform is accused of having influenced the results of the first round of the presidential election on November 24. The Romanian Supreme Council of National Defense points the finger preferential treatment given to a far-right candidatereviving concerns about the role of social networks in democratic processes.
Călin Georgescu, far-right populist candidate and declared ally of Vladimir Putin, created a surprise by defeating favorite Marcel Ciolacu, left-wing Prime Minister, in the first round of the presidential elections. This unexpected victory would be directly linked to massive exposure on TikTok, where the candidate’s videos accumulated more than 100 million views in the weeks preceding the election.
The Romanian Supreme Council of National Defense affirms that the TikTok algorithm would have deliberately favored the visibility of Georgescuwhile the content of the other candidates would have been systematically filtered, drastically reducing their exposure. The absence of labeling his publications as “campaign content” would also have helped to amplify his reach on the platform.
TikTok denies
This situation echoes the controversies that surrounded Facebook during the 2016 US presidential election, where the platform was used by Russia to sow discord and favor the Republican camp. Georgescu’s pro-Russian and anti-NATO positions, including calling Ukraine an “invented country,” raise particular concerns in a NATO member country sharing a border with Ukraine.
The Romanian Defense Council also explains that Russia sought to increasingly influence the public agenda of Romanian society and disrupt its social cohesion. A think tank Romanian highlighted character “sudden and artificial” of Georgescu’s popularity on TikTok.
Faced with these accusations, TikTok, owned by the Chinese group ByteDance, categorically denies any preferential treatment. Paolo Ganino, spokesperson for the platform, says Georgescu’s account was subject to the same rules and restrictions as those of the other candidates.
This controversy comes as TikTok is already facing criticism in the United States over the distribution of political advertisements containing disinformation ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The Romanian Constitutional Court has ordered a re-verification of the results of the first round. A second round is planned for December 8.
- Pro-Russian far-right candidate surprisingly wins first round of Romanian presidential election
- Romanian authorities accuse TikTok of having influenced the election by favoring the far-right candidate
- TikTok denies any manipulation, but the affair revives concerns about the influence of social networks in electoral processes
