The TikTokers accused of triggering an election scandal - BBC Trending podcast, BBC World Service

Key Concepts:

• Romanian Presidential Election Cancellation (December)
• TikTok Influencer Marketing Campaign
• Calin Georgescu (Far-Right Candidate)
• Foreign Interference (Allegedly Russia)
• Disinformation and Manipulation
• FameUp (Influencer Marketing Platform)
• Inauthentic Accounts and Engagement
• Telegram Channel "Propagator"
• Bogdan Peschir (BogPR) - TikTok donor
• Digital Services Act (DSA)
• Cyber-attacks

1. Background and Controversy

• In January, JD Vance criticized Romania for cancelling its December elections at a Munich security conference, suggesting Russian disinformation was the cause.
• The Romanian Constitutional Court annulled the first round of presidential elections after Calin Georgescu's unexpected victory.
• Georgescu was later banned from running and detained on charges including setting up a fascist organization, which he denies.

2. TikTok Influencer Campaign

• Weeks before the election, TikTok was flooded with videos by Romanian influencers describing their ideal presidential qualities.
• Romeo Rusu, a Protestant Minister and micro-influencer, posted a video with the hashtag "Stability and Integrity" after responding to an advert on Fame Up.
• Influencers were paid but the brief from FameUp did not instruct them to mark the content as paid, violating TikTok rules.
• FameUp did not respond to allegations that they encouraged influencers not to include a tag for 'paid content'.

3. Calin Georgescu's Rise and Allegations of Manipulation

• Georgescu, a pro-Russian vaccine skeptic, gained popularity on TikTok despite initial polls showing low support (3-5%).
• He ran as an independent candidate with a claimed zero campaign budget, relying on TikTok content.
• Expert Forum reported that Georgescu's rise on TikTok was sudden and artificial.
• After the election was cancelled, Georgescu's supporters protested, alleging the election was stolen.

4. Foreign Interference and Declassified Documents

• The Constitutional Court published declassified documents alleging foreign interference impacted the election.
• Romeo was identified as one of 12 influencers involved in the campaign.
• The Romanian Tax Authority identified the National Liberal Party as the sponsors of the FameUp campaign.
• The Liberal Party claimed their advert was hijacked by a pro-Georgescu campaign.
• Declassified documents from the Romanian Supreme Council of National Defence claimed a foreign state actor (implied to be Russia) orchestrated a hidden campaign to push Georgescu.
• The documents flagged a network of 25,000 dormant TikTok accounts that became active to spam Georgescu content.
• One document stated that ‘Romania is a target for aggressive Russian hybrid attacks, including cyber-attacks, leaks and sabotage.’

5. TikTok's Response and Ongoing Investigations

• TikTok announced the removal of over 27,000 accounts attempting to promote the AUR party and Georgescu.
• These accounts, based in Turkey, used fictitious personas to post comments.
• The European Commission is investigating whether TikTok violated the Digital Services Act by failing to tackle foreign interference.
• Romanian Journalists at G4Media reported that the inauthentic TikTok accounts were registered with email addresses by Russian provider rambler.ru.

6. Telegram Channel "Propagator"

• Victoria Olari's research examined a Telegram channel, "Propagator," that coordinated Georgescu supporters on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.
• The channel provided ready-made videos and instructions for posting content, exploiting TikTok's algorithm.
• The channel used tactics like timing posts together and personalizing them to avoid detection.

7. Bogdan Peschir (BogPR) and Influencer Payments

• Bogdan Peschir (BogPR) was arrested for ‘corrupting voters through electronic means of communication.’
• He allegedly sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to 250,000 influencers to induce them to vote for a certain candidate.
• Lucian LG, a manele musician, confirmed receiving around $5,000 from Peschir via TikTok gifts.
• Lucian claims he didn’t post anything in support of any of the candidates, but experienced a “wave of comments” in support of Georgescu.

8. TikTok's Actions and Future Outlook

• TikTok stated they blocked millions of fake engagement attempts, removed hundreds of thousands of spam accounts, and disrupted three covert influence networks.
• Investigations are ongoing to fully expose what happened.

9. Notable Quotes

• JD Vance: "If your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with."
• Lucian LG: "They almost put a president with these fake news and manipulation! TikTok must do something and all the social platforms must do something about politics."

10. Technical Terms and Concepts

• Digital Services Act (DSA): European Union law to regulate online platforms.
• Inauthentic Accounts: Fake or bot accounts used to manipulate online engagement.
• Algorithm Gaming: Exploiting the mechanics of an algorithm to achieve a desired outcome.
• Hybrid Attacks: A combination of conventional and unconventional warfare tactics, including cyber-attacks and disinformation.
• Manele: A genre of pop-folk music with roots in the Roma community.

11. Synthesis/Conclusion

The Romanian presidential election cancellation was triggered by a complex web of factors, including a TikTok influencer marketing campaign, alleged foreign interference (potentially Russia), and coordinated manipulation efforts. While concrete evidence of Russian involvement remains elusive, the use of inauthentic accounts, a Telegram coordination channel, and payments to influencers significantly contributed to the rise of Calin Georgescu and the subsequent election turmoil. The incident highlights the vulnerability of democratic processes to digital manipulation and the challenges social media platforms face in combating disinformation and foreign interference.