The reports from TikTok and Meta regarding last year’s presidential elections in Romania have been released. TikTok representatives have managed to block over 4.5 million fake likes and 1.5 million fake follow requests. Additionally, 33,000 spam accounts from Romania and nearly 100,000 fake accounts were suspended.
Moreover, the accounts of presidential candidates, as well as those of other politicians, officials, and political parties that may have conducted campaigns, have been banned from engaging in political advertising, placing ads on TikTok, or organizing monetization or fundraising activities, either in their own name or on behalf of other users, according to Antena 3.
The transparency reports from TikTok and Meta have been published on the websites of the European Commission. Each platform includes a chapter on last year’s elections in our country. TikTok details in its documents how it prepared to combat fraudulent electoral advertising in view of the elections in May.
“We have engaged with relevant authorities in Romania regarding the situation of the presidential elections and encouraged them to share any information so that we can work together to ensure the integrity of the elections. TikTok also responded to requests related to content from authorities, including the EC, answering their specific questions regarding accounts and sharing details about our investigations,” wrote TikTok in its report.
TikTok also states that it has identified and labeled all accounts of presidential candidates, as well as those of other politicians, officials, political parties that may conduct electoral campaigns, and government institutions in our country.
“For the sake of maintaining both the integrity of the platform and the safety of its users, accounts belonging to politicians or political parties cannot advertise or make money on TikTok.”
Representatives of the Chinese platform emphasize that these aspects have been applied before, but the problem in the case of Călin Georgescu was that he was not recognized by the platform as a candidate.
Furthermore, TikTok states that it has prevented over 4.5 million fake likes and 1.5 million fake follow requests. It has also blocked 33,000 spam accounts in Romania and nearly 100,000 fake accounts.
Between December 15th and 30th, 59 authentic accounts that violated political rules were also removed. TikTok mentions that it has a team of 99 Romanian-speaking moderators, and for the May elections, an additional 120 experts in security, integrity, and advertising were added.
Meta representatives have also initiated an awareness campaign about fraud and scams. This campaign took place in various markets in the European Union, including France, Germany, Poland, Romania, Belgium, and Spain, and used a variety of channels, including third-party platforms.
Activities of the campaign included ads on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, highlighting Meta’s commitment to user safety.