Social media site TikTok said on December 18 it has stepped up moderation efforts ahead of the presidential election in Croatia later this month. 

The statement was issued after the presidential election in nearby Romania was cancelled following revelations about suspected Russian interference in favour of far-right candidate Calin Georgescu. The politician is suspected to have received as much as €50mn in campaign funding, much of which was used to boost his presence on TikTok. 

There were also reports post-election that Georgescu’s videos were not flagged as political on the site, giving him an advantage over rival candidates. 

As well as ongoing investigations within Romania, the European Commission announced on December 17 that it has launched a formal investigation into how the platform managed risks of election interference.

“Following serious indications that foreign actors interfered in the Romanian presidential elections by using TikTok, we are now thoroughly investigating whether TikTok has violated the Digital Services Act by failing to tackle such risks,” wrote European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on X, announcing the probe. 

Previously, on December 5, the European Union directed TikTok to retain internal records detailing its content recommendation processes and the strategies it employs to prevent "intentional manipulation" on its platform. This directive specifically applies to material connected to national elections in EU countries, such as Romania, Ireland and Croatia, taking place between November 24, 2024, and March 31, 2025.

The upcoming election in Croatia will pit incumbent Zoran Milanovic against Dragan Primorac, the candidate backed by the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). 

Commenting on Croatia, TikTok’s statement said: “In Croatia, we consulted with the State Electoral Commission of the Republic of Croatia to launch an in-app Election Center earlier this month. The Election Center provides an overview of the Croatian presidential election with key dates, links to the Electoral Commission website, and educational resources on how to spot misinformation.” 

It went on to detail the actions it is taking to combat misinformation, covert influence operations and prevent “deceptive actors” from targeting the platform. 

"We are constantly working to maintain the integrity of our platform, especially during elections. In Croatia, we'll continue to invest to stay ahead of potential threats while continuing to make it easy to find reliable sources of information for those engaging with election content on our app.”