LONDON (AP) 鈥� The European Union said Friday it sent TikTok an urgent request for more information about Romanian intelligence files suggesting that Moscow coordinated influencers on its platform to promote an election candidate who became the front-runner in the presidential election.
The 27-nation bloc鈥檚 executive branch is using its sweeping digital rulebook to scrutinize the video sharing platform's role in the election, which ended with the coming from out of nowhere to take top spot in the first round of voting.
Declassified files released by Romanian authorities earlier this week suggest that a pro-Russia campaign used the messaging app Telegram to recruit thousands of TikTok users to promote Georgescu.
It is unclear from the intelligence release whether was aware of the alleged campaign or assisted in it.
European Commission officials said they asked the video sharing platform to comment on the files and to provide information on actions that it鈥檚 taking in response. It鈥檚 the second time the commission has asked TikTok for information since the election鈥檚 first round of voting on Nov. 24, and comes a day after it ordered the Chinese-owned platform to and evidence.
TikTok did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
鈥淲e are concerned about mounting indications of coordinated foreign online influence operation targeting ongoing Romanian elections, especially on TikTok,鈥� Henna Virkkunen, the commission鈥檚 executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said in a post on X.
TikTok has 24 hours to respond to the EU request, officials told a press briefing in Brussels. Georgescu will face pro-EU reformist Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party on Sunday.
鈥淭ikTok needs to step up resources to counter information operations ahead of the election weekend,鈥� Virkkunen said.
Georgescu鈥檚 unexpected rise in the polls has plunged the European Union and NATO country into turmoil and spurred the authorities to release the files.
Romania's intelligence services alleged that one TikTok user paid $381,000 to influencers on the platform to promote content about Georgescu. They said they obtained information that 鈥渞evealed an aggressive promotion campaign鈥� to increase and accelerate the candidate鈥檚 popularity.
Some of the thousands of social media accounts used in the campaign were allegedly created years ago but were only activated in the weeks leading up to the first round vote, the files indicated.
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AP writer Stephen McGrath in Bucharest contributed to this report.
Kelvin Chan, The Associated Press
