Categories: World News

Report ties Romanian liberals to TikTok campaign that fueled pro-Russia candidate – POLITICO


The center-right Romanian National Liberal Party paid for a campaign on TikTok that ended up favoring far-right independent candidate Călin Georgescu, a new report from investigative outlet snoop.ro indicates.

Georgescu was catapulted from obscurity into the lead in the first round of voting in the Romanian presidential election on Nov. 24. But the country’s top constitutional court ended up cancelling the vote due to a TikTok campaign that heavily promoted the pro-Russia Georgescu, potentially impacting election results, similar to influence operations run by the Kremlin in Ukraine and Moldova.

According to the snoop.ro report, the Romanian tax agency found that the Liberals had paid for a social media campaign on TikTok through influencers and by promoting a hashtag which ended up being hijacked to benefit Georgescu instead. The Liberals are a junior coalition partner in the outgoing government and their candidate, Nicolae Ciuca, placed fifth in the annulled first round.

The National Liberal Party paid an external firm, Kensington Communication, to implement the social media campaign. In a statement, Kensington Communication wrote: “If the campaign has been cloned or hijacked in favor of one candidate or another, we ask the competent bodies to verify and take the necessary legal measures.” The company also said the script they had sent out to influencers for the campaign had been altered.

The cancellation of the first round of the Romanian presidential election has thrown the country into a deep political crisis. The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into how TikTok manages risks of elections meddling in response to the situation in Romania.

pl_facebook_pixel_args = [];
pl_facebook_pixel_args.userAgent = navigator.userAgent;
pl_facebook_pixel_args.language = navigator.language;

if ( document.referrer.indexOf( document.domain ) < 0 ) {
pl_facebook_pixel_args.referrer = document.referrer;
}

!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';
n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',
'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');

fbq( 'consent', 'revoke' );
fbq( 'init', "394368290733607" );
fbq( 'track', 'PageView', pl_facebook_pixel_args );

if ( typeof window.__tcfapi !== 'undefined' ) {
window.__tcfapi( 'addEventListener', 2, function( tcData, listenerSuccess ) {
if ( listenerSuccess ) {
if ( tcData.eventStatus === 'useractioncomplete' || tcData.eventStatus === 'tcloaded' ) {

__tcfapi( 'getCustomVendorConsents', 2, function( vendorConsents, success ) {
if ( ! vendorConsents.hasOwnProperty( 'consentedPurposes' ) ) {
return;
}

const consents = vendorConsents.consentedPurposes.filter(
function( vendorConsents ) {
return 'Create profiles for personalised advertising' === vendorConsents.name;
}
);

if ( consents.length === 1 ) {
fbq( 'consent', 'grant' );
}
} );
}
}
});
}



Source link

Recent Posts

China says US ‘playing with fire’ by giving Taiwan more military aid

Beijing calls on the US to stop ‘dangerous moves’ that ‘undermine peace and stability’ in the Taiwan Strait.China has warned… Read More

3 hours ago

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,032

Here are the key developments on the 1,032nd day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Here is the situation on Sunday, December… Read More

11 hours ago

Inside the Final Days of the Assad Regime in Syria

As rebels advanced toward the Syrian capital of Damascus on Dec. 7, the staff in the hilltop Presidential Palace prepared… Read More

20 hours ago

Is the US willing to take action against foreign powers fuelling Sudan war? | Sudan war

The conflict in Sudan has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced 12 million. US President Joe Biden is… Read More

23 hours ago

Syria and the stakes for regional powers | Syria’s War

As Syria’s new leadership takes shape, competing media narratives in Iran and Turkiye illuminate the region’s shifting geopolitical dynamics. Contributors:Dina… Read More

1 day ago

French Court Convicts 8 People Tied to Events Leading to Teacher’s Beheading

A Paris court on Friday convicted eight people for their roles in the events that led to the killing of… Read More

1 day ago

This website uses cookies.