THE EU is to bring TikTok to task over its handling of election content.
The European Commission plans to formally probe how the Chinese-owned platform managed the risk of election meddling, notably in Romania.
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Romanian authorities accused TikTok of “irregularities” after a shock victory of far-right candidate Calin Georgescu in the first round of its presidential election. Romania’s top court later annulled the election.
It moved EC President Ursula von der Leyen to green-light the investigation.
In today’s Irish Sun on Sunday, Dublin MEP Regina Doherty says the TikTok inquiry should be a line in the sand for future elections.
ELECTION RESULTS ANNULLED
In recent weeks something extraordinary happened in Europe. A national court annulled the results of an election in a democratic EU country and ordered a rerun.
The first round of Romania’s presidential elections looks like it was subject to foreign interference and the deliberate spreading of misinformation.
Voters in Romania were exposed to an avalanche of misinformation on TikTok and algorithms that appeared to boost the exposure of a pro-Russian, far-right candidate, Calin Georgescu. Romania’s courts duly intervened and a new election was organised.
What do these actions mean for democracy in the EU, especially with German elections due in February?
For years, commentators have discussed the risks that foreign interference presents to fair elections, particularly by way of online manipulation.
This is not a matter of free speech, which should always remain a fundamental right.
It is about preventing the use of social media networks to promote content that is illegal offline, such as incitement to hatred, undermining elections and abuse material.
At the beginning of this year, the EU’s new rules to combat illegal activity on social media — the Digital Services Act — came into effect.
Under these rules, large platforms such as TikTok have a duty to swiftly remove illegal content, including content that seeks to undermine the integrity of elections. This clearly did not happen in Romania.
ANSWER QUESTIONS
Now, the European Commission has taken action by opening an investigation into the response of TikTok to events in Romania. This is welcome.
It is only right that TikTok should answer questions about its approach to political ads and paid political content.
The apparent manipulation that was seen in the Romanian election on TikTok presents a threat to democracy and election integrity if it is repeated.
Given that Germany, the largest country in the EU, is having elections in two months’ time, the investigation must take place swiftly, and any measures must be put in place in time.
If we see a repeat situation, where fringe extremist candidates in Germany receive huge online exposure with the backing of large numbers of fake accounts and manipulation of algorithms, then the consequences for democracy and governance at the heart of Europe’s biggest economy could be stark.
TikTok, and all other social media companies, must uphold their responsibilities.
If this investigation finds that the Digital Services Act has been infringed then it is vital appropriate measures are put in place immediately to avoid any future risks to elections.
The Commission has already ordered TikTok to preserve all data related to any risks posed to electoral processes and civic discourse in the EU.
Our own Coimisiún na Meán was established to monitor illegal online activity such as this and uphold the Digital Services Act in Ireland. I hope they will be proactive in this investigation and ensure that the online space is not a Wild West. We owe it to our fellow EU member states and citizens.
This investigation has important implications for Ireland, given we host many important global technology firms.
It is in everyone’s interests to show that we uphold the law without fear or favour.
We know that malign foreign actors, terrorist networks and unfriendly foreign governments use social media to undermine democracy and cause disruption to the EU.
Last year, during the Dublin riots widespread online incitement was not rapidly removed by Twitter, despite concerns raised by our government.
Now is the moment to show that our laws will be upheld for the good of voters in Ireland and across Europe.
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