TikTok report on Romania's presidential election: threats observed, response measures, cooperation with national, EU authorities

A report prepared by TikTok as a signatory to the Code of Conduct on Disinformation under the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA) outlines the threats observed in relation to Romania's November 2024 presidential election, the measures taken in the run-up to the election, pre-election interactions with national authorities and local experts, as well as engagement with national authorities and stakeholders and EU authorities post-election.TikTok emphasizes that the online platform has comprehensive measures in place to anticipate and address the risks associated with electoral processes, including the risks associated with election misinformation in the context of the Romanian November 24 election.The report on the Romanian election is included in the March 25 reporting for the period July 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024, which details the actions the main online platforms (Google, Meta, Microsoft and TikTok) are taking under the Code of Conduct on Disinformation.In the report, TikTok notes some of the threats it observed in connection with Romania's presidential election, such as removing six CIO (Covered Influence Operations) networks in 2024 that were identified as specifically targeting a Romanian audience.In addition to these networks, the report says, TikTok highlights its broader defences against covert influence campaigns in Europe, mentioning the removal in November 2024, as part of its anti-recidivism strategy, of 11 accounts believed to be associated with Sputnik Media and targeting Romanian and Moldovan audiences.The platform also notes that it has proactively removed more than 5,500 pieces of election-related content in Romania for violating its policies on misinformation, harassment, and hate speech since the end of October.Also in connection with the Romanian presidential election, 11 notifications were received through the COPD Rapid Response System in relation to the Romanian presidential ballot, which were rapidly addressed. Actions included banning or geo-blocking of accounts and content removals for violation of Community Guidelines.The report reviews the measures taken regarding content moderation capabilities (99 Romanian-language moderators), combating disinformation, fact-checking, establishing on October 23, 2024 a Mission Control Centre dedicated to the Romanian election, deterring covert influence operations (over 5,500 items of Romanian election-related content for violating policies on disinformation, harassment, and hate speech between the end of October and December 17), addressing AI-generated misleading content, addressing government, politician, and political party accounts (GPPPA).TikTok also notes that, ahead of the election, TikTok's GR team organized dedicated sessions with every political group in Romania to inform about its policies and to educate political actors about safety, and that it also requested a list of candidates to be provided by the Romanian authorities to ensure the GPPPA label could be correctly applied where relevant.The platform also states that it invested in media literacy campaigns as a strategy to combat disinformation, which is why it also entered into a partnership with the local NGO Funky Citizens.At the same time, TikTok's team in Romania organized on October 22 an election-dedicated meeting with ANCOM, the Permanent Electoral Authority and the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization, and on November 14 it organized a session with the said ministry on disrupting covert influence operations; the session was attended by experts from the ministry, ANCOM, National Cybersecurity Directorate, and the police.In the report, TikTok also states that, as a general rule, it has been in contact with the relevant authorities in Romania regarding the situation of the presidential election and has encouraged them to share any intelligence so that they could work together to ensure the integrity of the election. TikTok has also responded to content related requests from the authorities, including the EC, by answering their specific questions about accounts and sharing details of its investigations.