By Edith Hancock
The European Commission opened a formal investigation into TikTok over concerns foreign actors used the hugely popular video platform to interfere in Romanian presidential elections.
The European Union's digital regulator said Tuesday that it opened formal proceedings against TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, for potentially violating the Digital Services Act, a relatively new European law that forces tech companies to do more to protect users from coordinated campaigns that can sway elections.
"We must protect our democracies from any kind of foreign interference," commission president Ursula von der Leyen said. "Whenever we suspect such interference, especially during elections, we have to act swiftly and firmly," she said.
All online platforms, including TikTok, should be held accountable, she said.
The probe comes after far-right Romanian politician Calin Georgescu's win in the first round of elections before judges in the country annulled the outcome, citing concerns of Russian interference.
The commission said its investigation will focus on TikTok's recommender systems that use data to predict what people want to see on the platform and the risks linked to exploitation of the service, and TikTok's policies on political advertisements and paid-for political content.
TikTok is also under pressure in the U.S. The company on Monday asked the Supreme Court to delay enforcement of a national security law that could effectively ban it in the country next month.
The EU regulator doesn't have a formal deadline to end its investigation, but asked TikTok to freeze some data related to the case for officials to review earlier this month. TikTok can also offer remedies to allay officials' concerns over election integrity.
Write to Edith Hancock at edith.hancock@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 17, 2024 06:01 ET (11:01 GMT)
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