Promoting the need for truthful information to foster a democracy built on trust.
Bianca Mihaïlov
On November 24, the results of the first round of the presidential election caused shock in Romania. Independent candidate Călin Georgescu, who was largely unknown to the public until recently, emerged as the frontrunner with 23% of the vote. The outcome raised questions and drew the wary attention of the international community. The reasons? The role of social media in the meteoric rise of the Eurosceptic candidate and the alleged involvement of the Kremlin.
Călin Georgescu: The Unexpected Victory of an Outsider
Călin Georgescu positioned himself as an anti-establishment candidate capitalizing on corruption issues within the Romanian government. Presenting himself as the "peace" candidate, he particularly appealed to the far-right electorate by adopting nationalist rhetoric. Boasting an almost non-existent campaign budget, Georgescu primarily spread his Eurosceptic and NATO-critical views via social media. Unlike other European political figures active on social media, such as Jordan Bardella in France, Georgescu did not attract his audience with humour or online trends but rather portrayed himself as a strong, virile leader capable of governing the state—reminiscent of Vladimir Putin, whose critical stance on the West he shares. How can the sudden success of a candidate initially projected to receive only around 5% in the first round be explained?
Social Media Frenzy Sparks Suspicion
On TikTok, Georgescu's official account gained immense traction during the campaign. His posts reached up to 1.3 million views in November, compared to just a few thousand several months before the election. Hashtags associated with his campaign accumulated 1.4 billion views in Romania and across Europe. Given such an explosion in online support, questions arose regarding the role of social media platforms in the Romanian election, as well as the legality of Georgescu's campaign practices.
Just days before the second round, declassified reports from Romanian intelligence services revealed a massive influence campaign on social media in favour of the far-right candidate. Anomalous activity was detected on online platforms, particularly on TikTok—a platform highly popular in Romania, used by nearly half of the country's population. Local influencers were allegedly paid to subtly shape their content to depict an ideal candidate closely resembling Călin Georgescu. These micro-influencers reportedly received a total of €400,000 from Fame Up, an automated platform allowing users to offer paid partnerships to content creators.
These posts from real users were accompanied by a swarm of fake accounts flooding social media with favourable comments about Georgescu, creating the illusion of widespread popular support. The use of keywords and hashtags by these fake accounts contributed to the virality surrounding Georgescu, thus influencing the online public debate.
Romanian authorities denounced an orchestrated information interference campaign by a "state actor." The operational tactics closely resembled Kremlin-led manipulation efforts in Ukraine and Moldova, leading Romanian officials to implicitly point to Russia as the likely perpetrator. Romania's strategic position in NATO, the European Union, and the defence of Ukraine makes it a prime target for Moscow, which would benefit from the rise to power of a pro-Russian and Eurosceptic candidate. Romania's Foreign Ministry denounced an unprecedented foreign interference campaign, endangering the integrity of the country's political institutions. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed these allegations as absurd, claiming they fueled an "anti-Russian hysteria."
Is the Digital Services Act Failing?
The use of TikTok in an influence campaign targeting the presidential election of an EU member state inevitably raises questions about the enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU's landmark regulation on online content management and platform transparency. Enforced across all online platforms since February 2024, this regulation aims to establish transparency standards, enhance accountability for digital players, and curb the spread of harmful content, including disinformation. Non-compliance with the DSA carries significant penalties, with potential fines of up to 6% of a platform's global revenue and even a total ban from the European market.
Despite its implementation, the DSA has yet to produce tangible effects. Several factors explain this delay. Firstly, digital platform regulations were introduced well after the rapid technical and commercial evolution of social media, making enforcement more complex. Platforms have expanded their services and integrated advanced technologies such as recommendation algorithms, artificial intelligence, and targeted advertising, further optimizing their economic models. Secondly, the DSA's core principles require platforms to adopt a proactive role, particularly in reporting and risk assessment, which clashes with their traditionally business-driven and innovation-focused operations. Yet, expectations for the DSA remain high. In a context where algorithmic opacity transforms social media into prime instruments of information interference—as illustrated by Romania's recent case—this regulation is seen as an urgent necessity. The democratic risks associated with the instrumentalization of social media by foreign powers are well-documented and taken seriously both in France and at the EU level.
Following the unexpected electoral outcome in Romania, the European Parliament summoned TikTok representatives on December 3 to explain the platform's compliance with EU regulations. Caroline Greer, TikTok's Director of Public Policy and Government Relations, and Brie Pegum, TikTok's Global Head of Product, Authenticity, and Transparency, testified before the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection to address accusations of TikTok's involvement in an influence operation targeting Romania's presidential election. In response to European lawmakers' concerns, Greer emphasized that TikTok had hosted a Romanian government delegation at its Transparency and Accountability Center in Dublin in November. She reiterated TikTok's disinformation policies, assuring that the platform closely collaborates with Romanian authorities to protect electoral integrity.
The European Commission, responsible for enforcing the DSA, is also taking the matter seriously and ramping up its actions. After two investigations in November 2023 and February 2024 scrutinized TikTok's measures on child protection and transparency, the Commission announced a third investigation against the platform. In a December 17 press release, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned foreign interference in Romania's presidential election and pledged to determine whether "TikTok has violated the Digital Services Act by failing to tackle such risks." The investigation aims to assess whether TikTok's content recommendation system was manipulated to favour Călin Georgescu during the Romanian presidential election.
What Are the Implications for Democracy?
After initially requesting a vote recount, Romania's Constitutional Court ultimately decided on December 6 to annul the election, deeming its integrity compromised. The cancellation of the presidential election raises concerns about a potential political crisis in an increasingly polarized environment. Outgoing pro-European President Klaus Iohannis intends to remain in office until a new election is held, assuring the international community that Romania will remain a "stable and strong" country.
One may also question whether the election annulment ultimately benefits the actors behind this potential interference operation. By invalidating the election, do Romanian institutions risk undermining their own democracy? This decision was strongly condemned by centre-right candidate Elena Lasconi, who denounced it as an attack on democratic principles.
The recent events in Romania also call into question the EU's ability to effectively regulate the digital space to ensure its safety and transparency. The DSA faces a major test as external actors continually attempt to influence online public discourse ahead of national and supranational elections. However, while the DSA's impact remains limited for now, its recent adoption calls for patience in assessing its effectiveness.
Romania's case illustrates the new threats emerging from the transformation of the media landscape with the rise of digital platforms. The central role of social media in democratic debate can no longer be ignored, nor can their potential exploitation by foreign powers. While EU regulations struggle to demonstrate their effectiveness, equipping citizens with media literacy and critical thinking skills is essential to strengthening collective resilience against information interference.
This article was contributed to the Experts’ Blog of the Fondation Descartes by Bianca Mihaïlov.
