TikTok denies that Georgescu was treated differently. “It is completely false to claim that his account was treated differently than any other candidate,” spokesman Paolo Ganino said, adding that the far-right winner “was treated in the same way as any other candidate on TikTok and is subject to exactly the same rules .” and restrictions.”

The company had previously denied seeing anything resembling foreign interference or misuse of its platform, with Ganino calling reports of possible election interference “highly speculative” and “inaccurate and misleading.”

Other observers have suggested that Georgescu was simply following the far right’s conventional playbook, which has seen populists defeat ruling centrists in countries from France to Austria and the United States over the past year, including by breaking the mainstream -Bypassed media and targeted voters with direct messages on social media and other platforms.

Test case for Brussels

Romanian authorities are taking the fight to the European stage and calling on the European Union’s social media regulators for support – and the case is now becoming a test of Brussels’ new regulatory powers over social media.

In 2022, the 27-country bloc passed the Digital Services Act (DSA), an effective legal framework that requires online platforms to combat “systemic risks,” including disinformation and election interference.

The largest platforms of this kind, such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, fall under the supervision of the European Commission. The EU executive has the power to fine companies that don’t comply with the rules up to 6 percent of their global turnover – and even block an app across Europe.