In the context of a massive increase in the number of users on the TikTok platform, we need to focus our efforts on monitoring and moderating the content and misinformation here. The Romanian social networking landscape is undergoing a profound transformation and the evolution of online platforms reflects this. TikTok has seen spectacular growth, reaching 8.97 million Romanian users, very close to overtaking Facebook, which now has 9.05 million users after a significant loss of 1.3 million.
This platform is becoming increasingly influential and the lack of clear control mechanisms can facilitate the spread of dangerous narratives. A crucial step in this direction is the implementation of identity verification procedures similar to those on Facebook, in particular, to distinguish between individuals’ accounts and press, entertainment, and media accounts. At the moment we are witnessing a Wild West, where infiltration of influential groups is going viral in order to circumvent the increasingly tough regulations on Facebook.
Similarly, transparency in political advertising is an urgent challenge on TikTok. Unlike better-regulated platforms like Facebook, where there is an Ad Library to track political ads, on TikTok the rules are often bypassed. In theory, TikTok’s policy of not accepting political ads is an avoidance of liability. Paid political content has a free hand, and we must create a similar mechanism of control and transparency to ensure that political ads are flagged correctly and prevent the financial influence behind them from being hidden.
In addition to issues related to the regulation of platforms, Expert Forum supports the diversification of actions to combat disinformation in the offline environment. First of all, in Romania, we do not have surveys or impact studies to really understand the scale of the problem. Only through constant surveys can we measure the real effect that disinformation has on public opinion and electoral behavior in Romania. It is essential to understand how these online influences translate into real decisions in the offline world in order to be able to adjust strategies to combat disinformation.
READ THE REPORT – IS TIKTOK THE WILD WEST OF DISINFORMATION?