This December, Romania became the first EU member state in which the elections were invalidated due to foreign interference and disinformation through TikTok. This is a wake-up call for all of us. The spread of misinformation, disinformation, and non-transparent political advertisement during electoral processes is a crucial problem, not just in Romania but also across Europe.
The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, have led the fight* against foreign interference and disinformation; for instance, by leading the negotiations on the Digital Services Act (DSA). We have already put forward the central role of media literacy or the responsibility of social media platforms to safeguard electoral integrity and protect our youth.
The S&Ds strongly pushed for the debate’s inclusion in the plenary agenda, where the members of the European Parliament will be debating on how misinformation and disinformation circulating on social media are endangering our democracies.
Alex Saliba, S&D MEP and vice-president for Digital Agenda, said:
“What happened in Romania has left the country in one of its major political crises in decades. This is a warning bell for us, as it could happen in any future electoral process if we do not act quickly against the algorithmic influence.
“Social media is a powerful tool and Big Tech companies must be held more accountable for their role in spreading disinformation. More and more interference and coordinated disinformation campaigns are using platforms like X or TikTok to instigate fake news and political opinions that can undermine the very foundations of our democracy. What is more, the ownership of these platforms and their close coordination with political leaders, like Elon Musk who publicly endorsed Donald Trump, raises great concern in terms of transparency around their political affiliation. This is having devastating effects on our democracies and youth, who usually stay informed via social media platforms.
“We already raised the alarm in July on the spread of disinformation, with an independent study commissioned together with the S&Ds’ Dutch delegation GroenLinks-PvdA. We discovered that many thousands of accounts actively influenced public opinion on X during the campaign for the European elections. Organised troll networks, which were likely of Russian origin, were active in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy.
“We want social platforms like X or TikTok to take their responsibilities seriously. We applaud today’s move by the Commission to take additional steps and launch an investigation against TikTok. They should employ all of the resources at their disposal right away in order to complete this probe as quickly as possible before other European elections. The Digital Services Act is the cornerstone to protect us all against the spread of disinformation. We, the Socialists and Democrats, will keep working hand in hand with the Commission to ensure its proper and rapid enforcement. But, we also urge the new Commission to increase vigilance and regulation of digital platforms during critical political events, while safeguarding freedom of speech and avoiding censorship. To this aim, the voluntary EU Code of Practice on Disinformation, currently signed by Meta and TikTok, must be properly respected to prevent the amplification of false or harmful content. The EU’s code aims at increasing transparency and blocking the spread of bots and fake accounts. Elon Musk’s decision to pull X out of it in 2023 shows his deliberative complicity with the spread of toxic content.
“The Socialists and Democrats will spare no efforts to counter disinformation. The European Parliament must remain a fundamental democratic watchdog over all phenomena on foreign interference.”
Notes to editors
*The S&D Group proposed and advocated for the special Parliamentary committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the EU, including Disinformation (INGE) during the previous mandate. It was established in 2020 and chaired by S&D MEP Raphaël Glucksmann until March 2022. Under the leadership of S&D MEP and rapporteur, Christel Schaldemose, the EU adopted in 2022 the most ambitious regulation on online platforms to protect consumers and users, the Digital Services Act (DSA).
