Chinese social media platform TikTok has recommended content for Călin Georgescu, the far-right, pro-Russia candidate in Romania’s presidential run-off election at a rate of more than five times than that of his opponent, Elena Lasconi, a Global Witness investigation shows.
Thus, Global Witness investigators noted that in ten minutes spent on TikTok’s For You page, the app recommended 54 videos, of which 27 contained messages in support of one or the other candidate and three contained non-partisan political content.
Of the 27 posts that supported one of the two candidates, 85% promoted Georgescu and, 15% promoted Lasconi. In particular, two posts appeared from Georgescu’s official account, while one appeared from the official account for Lasconi.
Incredible, 21 posts that weren’t from the official accounts of either candidate supported Georgescu, and three posts supported Lasconi. Videos for Georgescu over Lasconi dominated even though Global Witness took measures to ensure that no political preferences were expressed.
The investigators followed both candidates and no one else, seeded the account by watching the same number of videos from both candidates and watched all videos in the For You feed featuring either of the candidates.
When Global Witness wrote to TikTok to give them a chance to comment on these findings, they suggested that other factors may have influenced what videos were shown, such as the length of time that the investigators watched each video or where the videos were posted from.
Investigators also found that one of the recommended videos contained gendered misinformation because it suggested that Lasconi would change the national anthem to the song playing in the post, the lyrics of which negatively reference boys dressing like girls.
The European Commission has requested information from the platform on its handling of the Romanian election under the Digital Services Act, which applies within the European Union.
This investigation follows a Global Witness investigation into TikTok’s content moderation during the recent Irish elections, prompting further questions about its ability to enforce its election policies.
