TikTok revealed on Wednesday that it blocked nearly 100,000 fake accounts and 33,000 spam accounts linked to Romania's presidential elections in late 2024, highlighting an unprecedented scale of attempted election manipulation that ultimately led to the cancellation of the presidential poll.
The social media giant's latest transparency report detailed multiple coordinated disinformation networks operating within Romania's political landscape. In September 2024, the platform identified 22 accounts spreading anti-government messaging. By November, a network of 78 accounts emerged promoting far-right presidential candidate Călin Georgescu, while 12 separate accounts amplified content supporting independent candidate Mircea Geoană.
The most extensive operation discovered involved over 27,000 accounts connected to a fake engagement provider supporting both the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party and Georgescu. Additionally, 68 accounts based in Moldova were found targeting Romanian diaspora communities.
In response to these challenges, TikTok has strengthened its moderation team with 99 Romanian-speaking staff members. The platform also deployed 120 additional experts specializing in security, integrity, and advertising oversight for Romania's rescheduled presidential elections in May.
The company's efforts extended beyond domestic interference, as it tackled international influence operations. TikTok removed 11 accounts linked to Sputnik Media that were targeting audiences in both Romania and Moldova.
Between December 15-30, 2024, the platform also removed 59 authentic accounts that violated political guidelines. TikTok maintains ongoing surveillance for repeat offenders and continues its fight against covert influence campaigns.
This unprecedented scale of election interference has prompted Romanian authorities to reschedule their presidential elections, with new measures being implemented to protect the integrity of the democratic process.