Major social networks and online disinformation
The Romanian defence ministry cites new online disinformation campaigns, especially on TikTok.
Corina Cristea, 09.12.2024, 13:50
“Voters’ freedom to form an opinion is based on the right to get accurate information on candidates, therefore the involvement of state or non-state entities in propaganda or election disinformation campaigns must be eliminated,” the Constitutional Court said on Friday, in presenting the grounds for cancelling the presidential election in Romania.
According to the information presented by the intelligence services to the Supreme Defence Council and subsequently declassified, “the main flaws concerning the process of electing the president of Romania in 2024 have to do with voter manipulation and with distorting equal opportunity for the election contenders, by means of un-transparent usage, against election laws, of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in the election campaign, as well as through online and other campaign financing from undeclared sources,” the Court also said.
The target of all these accusations is the extremist, sovereigntist candidate Călin Georgescu, a Vladimir Putin admirer who reached the second round of the presidential ballot virtually out of the blue.
As far back as in August, the National Communications Administration and regulatory Authority (ANCOM) and the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) sent an official notification to the major online platforms, informing them of their obligations during the electoral process. The AEP then submitted notifications to TikTok on various irregularities, requesting measures to ensure the lawful conduct of the election campaign in Romania, but the platform failed to answer these requests promptly, ANCOM said.
The National Audio-Visual Council and ANCOM also notified Meta, TikTok, X and Google of their obligations to combat disinformation, in line with the relevant EU regulation, and called for enhanced content moderation mechanisms.
In spite of these calls and requests, the defence ministry warns that fresh online disinformation activities are reported, especially on TikTok. According to InfoRadar, an information portal run by the defence ministry to counter fake news, the new campaign focuses on Romania’s borders and port infrastructure.
One of the posts claims that Romania will close its borders and secure them with troops, while another one falsely presents military equipment that the Romanian Army does not possess and claims that equipment is deployed in the port of Constanţa, allegedly in preparations for war.
The ministry explains that this is false information and promises its communication structures will continue to warn against disinformation attempts as they are identified. (AMP)
