TikTok reveals rampant election manipulation in Romania's political sphere
TikTok's Fight Against Election Shenanigans in Romania
It's no secret that TikTok has been working tirelessly to keep its platform clean, especially in the wake of Romania's recent elections. The popular social media app revealed some impressive numbers in its latest half-year report, stating they blocked 33,000 spam accounts in Romania and nearly 100,000 fake accounts.
The report sheds light on the intense activity TikTok undertook to curb fraudulent activity, particularly during Romania's electoral campaign. This abrupt action seems to be a response to the magnitude of such operations invoked by Romania when cancelling the presidential elections.
After the elections, TikTok's efforts did not cease as regulations among users continued to be enforced. Between December 15 and 30, 59 real accounts that violated political provisions were removed.
TikTok boasts a team of 99 Romanian-speaking moderators, and for the May elections, they added an additional 120 security, integrity, and advertising experts.
In September 2024, TikTok identified a network of 22 accounts operating from Romania that were attempting to spread disinformation and promote stories critical of the Romanian government. In November, they found 78 accounts operating from Romania that were trying to promote candidate Călin Georgescu on TikTok and 12 accounts that were amplifying stories in Romanian favorable to independent political candidate Mircea Geoană.
The festive month of December brought some intriguing discoveries. A network of 27,217 accounts operating through a fake engagement provider, trying to promote the AUR political party and independent candidate Călin Georgescu, was discovered. Another interesting find was a network of 68 accounts operated from the Republic of Moldova and targeting the Romanian diaspora in Romania.
The report mentions broader defense against covert influence campaigns in Europe, as TikTok took global action against a covert network linked to Sputnik Media in September 2024. In November, they removed 11 accounts believed to be associated with Sputnik Media and targeting audiences in Romania and the Republic of Moldova.
(Photo: Tashatuvango/ Dreamstime)
Behind the scenes, TikTok's efforts are spearheaded by its Elections Taskforce, which includes experts in cybersecurity, deceptive activities, misinformation, and election integrity. This team works tirelessly to protect the platform from manipulation and ensure the integrity of electoral processes.
And while TikTok is making commendable efforts, disinformation remains a persistent issue on the platform, although it seems to be less prevalent on other platforms like Telegram, Facebook, and YouTube. The ongoing challenge underscores the importance of continued vigilance and cooperation to combat misinformation.
Want more details on TikTok's efforts against disinformation and political manipulation in Romania? Check out our dedicated page here.
[3] Election center to combat disinformation ahead of Romanian election launched by TikTok[4] TikTok expands efforts to combat election manipulation in Romania
- TikTok's Elections Taskforce, consisting of experts in cybersecurity, deceptive activities, misinformation, and election integrity, has been proactively working to protect the platform from manipulation and ensure the integrity of Romania's elections.
- The social-media app has been actively addressing disinformation on its platform, not just during elections, but also in the realms of general-news, entertainment, politics, crime-and-justice, and social-media.
- As part of its broader defense against covert influence campaigns, TikTok has taken global action against networks linked to Sputnik Media, removing accounts in September 2024 targeting audiences in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, signifying its commitment to maintaining the technology-driven platform free from political bias and misinformation.
