TikTok pushes far-right candidate content in Romanian presidential election

Global Witness investigated TikTok's recommendation algorithm around the first round of Romania's annulled presidential election, won unexpectedly by ultranationalist candidate Călin Georgescu. Using test accounts, researchers found that of the posts favoring one of the two leading candidates, 85% promoted Georgescu versus 15% promoting his rival Elena Lasconi, with pro-Georgescu content recommended between roughly 4.6 and 14 times more often across separate tests conducted over two days.

The investigation also identified gendered misinformation among the recommended content, including a video falsely claiming Lasconi would change the national anthem to reference boys dressing as girls. Global Witness tied its findings to broader scrutiny of the election, noting Romanian intelligence assessments describing coordinated inauthentic accounts, algorithmic amplification, and paid promotion benefiting Georgescu.

The report contributed to mounting regulatory attention on TikTok's role in the vote, and was among the evidence cited when the European Commission opened a formal Digital Services Act investigation into the platform's handling of election-related risks in Romania.