EU aspirant threatens Telegram and TikTok ban

Moldovan authorities could vote to ban TikTok and Telegram in the country if there is the risk of manipulation in upcoming elections, Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu has said.

Grosu, who previously raised concerns about the platforms’ alleged threat to the country’s security, made the remarks on Friday on the TV8 channel.

Asked whether Telegram and TikTok could be prohibited, Grosu claimed it is the duty of “institutions” to decide on such a move, warning that their use could lead to “very serious” consequences.

Moldovan lawmakers could consider a ban “if we see a real danger of these platforms being used by actors from outside or inside, who want to undermine the security of the state,” he added.

Grosu highlighted that active discussions are taking place within the EU about regulating online platforms, which he claimed have become “geopolitical actors.” 

“We have seen what a platform like this can do in a country like Romania,” Grosu claimed, in an apparent reference to last month’s surprise first-round win by independent candidate Calin Georgescu in the country’s presidential election.

A critic of NATO and the EU and a staunch opponent of sending aid to Ukraine, Georgescu topped the first-round vote in Romania with 22.94%, beating liberal leftist candidate Elena Lasconi, who received 19.18%, and the country’s Social Democrat prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu, who finished third with 19.15%.

However, Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the entire election ahead of the second-round vote, declaring the ballot would be re-run at a later date. It cited declassified intelligence documents which allegedly found irregularities in Georgescu’s performance. They claimed his candidacy was improperly promoted online, including on TikTok, by paid influencers and extremist right-wing groups, and that his campaign may have benefited from Russian interference – an allegation that Moscow has denied as “absolutely groundless.” 

Washington praised the court’s decision, saying the US reaffirms its “confidence in Romania’s democratic institutions and processes.” 

Moldovan authorities have previously claimed that TikTok is uninterested in the transparency of its algorithms, branding it a tool of digital manipulation which has nothing to do with freedom of expression. The company has rejected the allegations.

The next parliamentary elections in Moldova are set to be held no later than July 11, 2025. The exact date has yet to be announced.

Recent presidential elections in the former Soviet state, which aspires to join the EU, were marred by accusations of rigging and voter manipulation from both the government and the opposition. Maia Sandu, who declared victory in last month’s runoff, has accused Russia of meddling in the election, also alleging that unspecified “criminal groups” attempted to “purchase” votes.

The Kremlin has refused to fully acknowledge Sandu’s victory, asserting that the electoral process was neither fair nor democratic, given significant procedural irregularities that hindered the voting rights of Moldovan citizens residing in Russia.