Radio România Internațional

Tag: TikTok

  • January 23, 2025

    January 23, 2025

    Protest – Railway workers, reserve military, policemen, miners, foresters, steel workers or employees of the Bucharest Subway system are expected, on Friday, at a rally organized near the government headquarters, against the background of the dissatisfaction generated by the social and salary policies of the governing coalition made up of the PSD-PNL-UDMR, the Federation of Railway Transporters’ Unions from Romania (FSTFR) announces. It estimates the number of participants in the protest will stand at 30,000.

     

    Corruption – The mayor of Sinaia, the most popular resort on the Prahova Valley (southern Romania), the liberal Vlad Oprea, was brought to the headquarters of the National Anticorruption Directorate on Thursday, to be heard in a case. According to the prosecutors, he claimed and received bribe of almost 240,000 Euros from a businessman, in order to facilitate the issuance of the necessary documentation for the construction of a hotel in the city. Oprea is also accused that, between July 2019 and January 2024, he allowed the unauthorized activity of providing public catering services for a restaurant in Sinaia, in order to obtain undue benefits.

     

    Captivity – The Romanian Foreign Ministry announces that the Romanian sailor from the crew of the ship “Galaxy Leader”, freed from Yemen, is safe and sound. The crew has been in captivity for more than a year after the Houthi rebel group captured the ship, at the start of a series of attacks on ships in the Red Sea motivated by Israel’s war against the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. The 25 sailors from the Philippines, Mexico, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine were detained in November 2023 by Houthi fighters, who used a helicopter to board the cargo ship running between Turkey and India. A Houthi-controlled Yemeni television station said the crew had been freed and handed over to Oman, following the completion of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, which took effect on Sunday. The release comes after months of diplomacy work involving the sailors’ home countries, as well as the UN’s International Maritime Organization. The Romanian Foreign Ministry specifies that the action is the result of the efforts of the Foreign Intelligence Service and the other institutions within the crisis cell. The Romanian authorities also thank the external partners, especially the Sultanate of Oman and neighboring Bulgaria, for the important support given to solving this complex and extremely difficult case.

     

    Football – The Romanian football champion, FCSB, from Bucharest, plays, this evening, away from home, in Baku, against the Azerbaijani team Qarabag FK, in the seventh stage of the Europa League. With two stages before the end of the main phase of the competition, FCSB is in 10thplace, with 11 points, and Qarabag is in 33rdplace, with 3 points. The first eight teams in the ranking will qualify for the round of 16, while the teams from 9th to the 24th positions will play a play-off to qualify for the round of 16. FCSB still is to play the famous English team Manchester United, at home, on January 30.

     

    Reorganization – The reorganization of central public institutions and of state-owned companies in Romania, with a view to reducing budget expenses, is dissatisfying more and more employees. Several ministries have already announced reorganizations and staff reductions. The Parliament leadership also announced the reduction of civil servant positions by approximately 400, which led to a spontaneous protest by the employees in the halls of the institution.

     

    Drones – A new disinformation by the Russian media, regarding last week’s drone attacks against the civilian port infrastructure in Ukraine, near the border with Romania, was denounced by the Romanian Ministry of National Defense. The Kremlin propaganda falsely claimed that the Russian attack drones targeted an operation to transport Romanian soldiers or Romanian mercenaries from the Romanian shore to the Ukrainian one. According to the phantasmagoric scenario, the forces of the Romanian Army would have intervened in the unfolding of the events and would have opened fire on the Russian drones with equipment deployed on the Romanian territory. The alleged confrontation would have resulted in numerous victims on the Romanian side, dead and wounded. But all this did not happen, states the Romanian Defense Ministry. These “ungrounded aberrations”, as the Defense Ministry calls them, are part of the pattern of Russian operations to influence and manipulate public opinion in both the Romanian and NATO areas.

     

    TikTok – The vice-president of the European Parliament, the Romanian social democrat Victor Negrescu, states that the EC will present in a relatively short time its report on the interference, through the Chinese network TikTok, in the presidential election in Romania. The European Commission can come up with specific recommendations or impose a fine for that network – said the social democratic MEP. He added that the Vice-President of the Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, spoke about the possibility that all social networks, not just TikTok, which intervene in democratic debates and elections, could be subject to stricter control and could be sanctioned if they violate the European legislation in the matter. (LS)

  • December 18, 2024

    December 18, 2024

    A roundup of local and international news.

     

    RATING – Fitch Ratings has revised the Outlook on Romania’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to Negative from Stable, meaning a further downgrade is possible, the rating agency said in a statement. According to Fitch, the assessment reflects the major risks Romania faces due to additional political tensions on the political scene after the cancellation of the presidential elections due to external interference, as well as the parliamentary elections that resulted in a more divided Parliament, with a rise in the far right and anti-EU parties, reflecting the increased polarization of Romanian society. The Fitch outlook, which measures a Government’s ability to fulfill its financial obligations, could lead to an increase in interest rates for the loans that the Government plans to take out from the foreign market.

     

    SUMMIT – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is participating, today and Thursday, in Brussels, in the EU – Western Balkans Summit and the European Council meeting. On Thursday, the European Council agenda will include topics such as Ukraine, migration, the situation in the Middle East, the EU’s civil and military preparedness and response to crises, the EU’s role in the world and the enlargement of the Union, the Republic of Moldova, Georgia and issues related to freedom, security and justice.

     

    PARLIAMENT – A reception center for the newly elected senators and deputies is open as of today until Friday at the Parliament Palace in Bucharest. The new MPs are being guided, these days, through the formalities needed in order to take over their mandates. The new Parliament resulting from the legislative elections of December 1 was convened, on Friday, for its constituent session. In the meantime, the first clear results are emerging after almost a week and a half of negotiations between the parties that want to form the future Parliament majority. PSD, PNL, UDMR and the national minorities other than the Hungarian one have presented the main directions of a 4-year governing program. After tensions in recent days, it is not yet known whether the USR will also be part of the future government.

     

    COMMEMORATION – In Timişoara, events dedicated to the anti-communist Revolution of December ’89 continue today. Tuesday, the city in western Romania was a day of mourning in memory of those killed at the outbreak of the Revolution. After the bloody repression of the uprising on December 17, the large factories went on strike, and the workers gathered in the city center. On December 20, Timişoara became the first Romanian city free from communism  and from here the flame of the Revolution spread throughout the country, to culminate, on the 22nd, in Bucharest, with dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife, trying to escape.

     

    INVESTIGATION – The European Commission has launched an official investigation into TikTok, for Russia’s interference in the Romanian presidential elections. The EC is collecting data to determine whether the platform violated EU law. Among other things, the risks to civic discourse or paid political advertising and content are being investigated. On the other hand, the leadership of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee condemned Russian interference and the role of TikTok, a Chinese-controlled platform, in destabilizing the democratic process in Romania.

  • EU investigates TikTok

    EU investigates TikTok

    The European Commission opened formal proceedings against the TikTok social media platform for alleged violations of the Digital Services Act in the context of the presidential elections in Romania. The first round held on 24th November ended with the shock win of a nationalist and euro-skeptic independent candidate who was little known to the public, which raised many questions. The elections were annulled after the Constitutional Court received evidence from the Romanian Intelligence Service of Moscow’s interference with the election process. Also, four influential US senators warned, in a joint statement, of the threat posed by TikTok in Romania.

    “Vladimir Putin’s assault on Romania’s elections is yet another example of the hybrid war he is waging on our European allies and partners. As a strong NATO ally, we support Romania as it fights for the integrity of its elections. We condemn Putin’s manipulation of Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-controlled TikTok to undermine Romania’s democratic process”, the US senators said in their statement.

    The European Commission is investigating whether the Chinese platform properly assessed and mitigated systemic risks linked to election integrity. “We must protect our democracies from any kind of foreign interference. Whenever we suspect such interference, especially during elections, we have to act swiftly and firmly. Following serious indications that foreign actors interfered in the Romanian presidential elections by using TikTok, we are now thoroughly investigating whether TikTok has violated the Digital Services Act by failing to tackle such risks. It should be crystal clear that in the EU, all online platforms, including TikTok, must be held accountable”, said Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen.

    In response to these accusations, TikTok said it protected the integrity of the platform in over 150 elections around the world. “We do not accept paid political advertisements, we proactively remove content for violating our policies on misinformation, harassment and hate speech, and continue to work with the European Commission,” said a TikTok spokesperson.

    On 5th December, the European Commission issued an order to TikTok to preserve any data related to “actual or foreseeable systemic risks its service could pose on electoral processes and civic discourse in the EU” between 24th November 2024 and 31st March 2025.

    The threat posed by online disinformation to the integrity of elections was also the subject of a debate in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Depending on their political affiliation, MEPs views varied, with some saying online platforms have become breeding ground for disinformation and their algorithms a threat to elections, and with others saying freedom of expression is not negotiable.

  • Russia: concerns and sanctions

    Russia: concerns and sanctions

     

    Four US Senators, both Republicans and Democrats, have condemned Russia’s interference in the Romanian presidential elections and have expressed support for Bucharest in its fight for the integrity of the election process. The signatories include Ben Cardin, head of the Senate’s committee on foreign relations, and Jeanne Shaheen, chair of the subcommittee on Europe and regional cooperation.

     

    In a statement posted on the US Senate website, they state that president Vladimir Putin’s attack on the Romanian elections is yet another example of the hybrid war Russia is waging on the United States’ European allies and partners. The Senators say the US “stands in support of Romania as it urgently moves to hold certifiably free and fair presidential elections.”

     

    The first round of the presidential elections in Romania, on November 24, was cancelled over concerns that the vote was not fair because of illegal practices supported by Moscow on social media, especially on TikTok.

     

    The US Senators condemn “Putin’s manipulation of Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-controlled TikTok to undermine Romania’s democratic process. The world must wake up to the serious threat to democracy posed by Russian manipulation of TikTok to undermine our free societies.”

     

    They add that the Romanian government has uncovered this assault on their democracy, and appreciate Bucharest’s decision to declassify intelligence related to the investigation and keep the United States and the international community informed.

     

    In turn, the European Union announced on Monday that it had adopted the first sanctions in response to “hybrid activities” on its territory, against Russian agents accused of “destabilising” actions in the EU. The bloc also accuses Moscow of cyber-attacks and disinformation, especially during elections in the EU.

     

    According to the Council of the European Union, the sanctions target individuals and entities that “undermine the fundamental values ​​of the EU and its member states, their security, stability, independence and integrity, as well as those of international organisations and third countries through hybrid activities of various kinds.”

     

    A total of 16 individuals and 3 entities are targeted by the sanctions, according to the Council. The measures, which include the freezing of assets in the EU, a travel ban and a ban on being financed by European companies, were decided as part of a new sanctions framework approved in October. This is separate from the one used against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. (AMP)

  • December 9, 2024 UPDATE

    December 9, 2024 UPDATE

    Defense Ministry – The Romanian Defense Ministry (MApN) signals new disinformation actions in the online environment, especially on the TikTok platform. According to the MApN portal, InfoRadar, Romania’s borders and port infrastructure are targeted. One of the posts falsely accredits the idea that Romania’s borders will be closed and secured with military personnel, and the other presents, without any connection with reality, military equipment that is not in the Romanian Army’s equipment as being concentrated in the Port of Constanța, this being evidence, as the authors of the disinformation claim, of war preparations. The Ministry specifies that all this information is false and that its communication structures will continue to report cases of disinformation of the public opinion as they are identified. The National Audiovisual Council and The National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications have notified the platforms Meta, TikTok, X and Google regarding their obligations in terms of combating disinformation, in accordance with the European regulation in the field.

     

    Syria – On Monday, the EU called for a ‘peaceful and orderly’ transition in Syria, after the removal of the Bashar al-Assad regime from power. The head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, underlined that it was essential to maintain the territorial integrity of Syria, to respect the independence, sovereignty and state institutions of this country and to reject all forms of extremism. The Russian state media reports that the ousted president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, and his family are in Russia and have received political asylum. The coalition of Syrian rebels and local officials have announced that they are working to transfer power and rebuild Syria together. Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali has spoken publicly and has said he will remain in office until a new government is installed, that public institutions will be protected and that government officials must remain in office until a new government is formed. According to commentators, busy with the invasion of Ukraine, respectively with the conflict with Israel, Russia and Iran, the supporters of the Assad regime during the civil war of the last decade, have had no significant interventions against the rebels this time.

     

    Weather – In Romania, in the next 24 hours, temperatures ​​will be above the multi-annual averages specific to this date. The sky will be cloudy in the west, north and center of the country, and in the rest the clouds will be temporary. Light rainfalls will be reported in the center and northeast. There will be mixed precipitation in the mountain area and in the northern half of the country. The wind will blow moderately, with some intensification in the east and southeast. Maximum temperatures will range between 3 and 9 degrees Celsius. Meteorologists announce warmer weather than normal for this period throughout Romania, until January 6. Rain will be reported, especially in the first part of this interval, in the eastern, southern and intra-Carpathian regions, according to the four-week forecast issued by the National Meteorological Administration. The first month of winter is characterized by several phenomena, including snow, which, associated with intensification of the wind, will cause blizzards, quite often in the southern half and in the east.

     

    Arrest – Horaţiu Potra, a local councilor in the town of Mediaş (central Romania), known as the leader of a group of mercenaries that operated in Africa, was arrested, Sunday evening, by Romanian prosecutors. His arrest was confirmed by his lawyers, who say that the charges are public incitement and non-compliance with the weapons and ammunition regime, being related to the arsenal found by investigators and a post on Facebook. Several weapons and sums of money were found in a car, in traffic, in Prahova county (south), which transported Potra and another person, who were allegedly on their way to Bucharest. Currently, the Prahova county prosecutors and police are conducting other searches in Ilfov (south), Sibiu (center) and Bucharest. The searches take place in several buildings owned by Potra, as well as in other spaces where it is assumed that there were meetings between him and persons suspected of involvement in perpetrating these crimes. According to the information published in the press, Potra is allegedly a supporter and the one who coordinates the security of the nationalist politician Călin Georgescu, accused of connections with Russia. Winner of the first round of the presidential election on November 24, round which was later canceled by the Constitutional Court of Romania, Georgescu claims that he does not know Potra and that he only knows things about him from the press.

     

    Schengen  – Austria will not oppose Romania and Bulgaria becoming full members of the European Schengen free travel area, at the meeting of interior ministers that will take place on Thursday in Brussels, the Austrian APA agency reported on Monday, quoted by Reuters, citing Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner. We remind you that Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Schengen in March, by suspending air and sea border controls. Land border controls, however, remained in place due to opposition from Austria, motivated by Vienna’s concerns about illegal migration. Romania could thus enter the Schengen area 17 years after joining the European Union. (LS)

  • December 6, 2024

    December 6, 2024

    A roundup of local and international news.

     

    CYBER SECURITY – The European Commission has stepped up its monitoring of the TikTok platform, asking it to freeze all information on its system related to the European Union elections, in order to study it in depth. The Commission has also convened several meetings with officials from member states, European institutions and other digital platforms with which it will analyze systemic information risks across the entire bloc. The decisions come after, in the presidential elections in Romania, the candidate ranked first in the first round on November 24, Călin Georgescu, was allegedly heavily promoted on TikTok through a well-organized campaign, worth millions of dollars, although he says he did not spend anything.

     

    ELECTIONS – More than 4,200 people voted in the Diaspora by Friday at 1 p.m. (Bucharest time), in the second round of the presidential elections in Romania. The independent Călin Georgescu and the USR leader Elena Lasconi are the two contenders. Voting began abroad on Friday at 1 a.m. (Romania’s time), and the first polling station was opened in New Zealand. Australia, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and India followed. Voting in the Diaspora in the presidential elections takes place over three days, from Friday to Sunday. Voting in the country is allowed only on Sunday, between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.

     

    PROTESTS – Thousands of people participated, on Thursday evening, in the University Square in Bucharest, in a rally for freedom and democracy. Famous figures from the arts and literary world were present, including actor Victor Rebengiuc and writer Ana Blandiana, both known for their civic involvement. We recall that the victory of the pro-Russian extremist Calin Georgescu in the first round of the presidential elections, on November 24, triggered protests in Bucharest and other major cities. The United States voiced concern about what Romanian intelligence services have demonstrated to be Russia’s involvement in the election process, in order to influence the outcome of the presidential elections. The high political uncertainty has, on the other hand, led to a decrease in confidence in the Romanian economy.

     

    St. NICHOLAS – Christians celebrate Saint Nicholas today, one of the most popular saints, to whom the tradition of giving gifts is related. He was a bishop at the beginning of the 4th century in Myra, the current city of Demre in Turkey. He was very generous and helped those in need in a discreet way. He did it in such a way that the person who received it did not know where the help came from. Hence the tradition that Saint Nicholas is waited for by children to leave them gifts in shoes on the morning of December 6. Over 800,000 Romanians celebrate their name day today.

     

    HANDBALL – The Romanian women’s national handball team plays today against Sweden, their second match in the main Group I of the European Championship – EHF EURO 2024, hosted by Austria, Hungary and Switzerland. On Thursday evening, the Romanian women were defeated, 30-25, by the world champion, France. They will also play in the group with Hungary and Poland. Romania has participated 14 times in the European Women’s Championship, obtaining a single medal, bronze, in 2010. In men’s handball the Romanian champion, Dinamo Bucharest was defeated, also on Thursday, on home turf, by the French team Paris Saint-Germain Handball, 40-33, in Group A of the Champions League. Dinamo suffered its third consecutive defeat in the group. The Romanians will next play against group leaders Veszprem of Hungary on February 13, 2025.

     

    GAUDEAMUS – The Gaudeamus 2024 Book Fair, organized by Radio Romania, continues in Bucharest until Sunday. The honorary president of the current edition is writer Mircea Cărtărescu, one of the best-known and most appreciated contemporary Romanian writers, the holder of numerous national and international awards. Over 200 exhibitors have announced their participation in Gaudeamus 2024, hundreds of editorial events are scheduled and tens of thousands of titles are presented, many of them for the first time.

     

  • TikTok management at EP hearing

    TikTok management at EP hearing

     

    The video-sharing app TikTok Tuesday defended before the European Parliament its measures to counter disinformation in the first round of Romania’s presidential election, and denied having favoured the far-right outsider Călin Georgescu.

     

    TikTok officials told the EP’s Committee on internal market and consumer protection that all candidates had been taken into account in the system without discriminating between independent contenders and those who were members of a party. The platform’s global head of product for authenticity and transparency, Brie Pegum, stated that of the networks taken down in recent months for unlawful political content, only one supported Călin Georgescu and it had much fewer followers than others supporting other candidates. She also stressed that the platform had eliminated over 66,000 fake accounts in Romania, around 7,000,000 fake ‘likes’, around 10,000,000 fake followers and 1,000 accounts that replicated candidate profiles.

     

    In turn, TikTok’s head of public policy and government relations, Caroline Greer, explained that the app had applied its own rules for electoral processes during the Romanian elections. She also added that in the months leading up to the elections she had had meetings with various authorities, including several political parties and the Romanian electoral authority. In addition, she mentioned that TikTok had 95 Romanian content moderators.

     

    Our view is strictly limited to what happens on the platform. We do not know what happens outside it, we do not know what the financial capacity of the candidates is or what they do elsewhere, the TikTok executive said. MEPs say, however, that the answers provided by the company do not clarify the question marks related to the transparency of the app operation or the tools used in countering manipulation.

     

    The Romanian MEP Dan Nica, leader of the Social Democratic group in the European Parliament, reiterated the request for the European Commission to get involved in the inquiry. He believes that it is important for European institutions to step in to prevent the misuse of online platforms for political purposes, which could affect the election process and citizens’ confidence in democracy.

     

    In fact, after the first round of the presidential election on November 24, Romania called on the European Commission to launch a formal investigation into the TikTok platform, based on the EU’s social media rules, which require companies to assess and mitigate threats to election integrity. Similar accusations were made against TikTok in connection with the recent parliamentary elections in Ireland. (AMP)

  • Cyber-attacks on Romania

    Cyber-attacks on Romania

     

    The Supreme Defence Council, convening on Thursday in Bucharest, found that the first round of the presidential elections in Romania held on November 24 was the target of cyber-attacks designed to alter its accuracy. The Council members presented assessments concerning possible threats to national security, generated by the actions of state and non-state cyber actors on the IT&C infrastructures involved in the election process.

     

    They confirmed that, in the current regional security context, particularly as far as elections are concerned, Romania, alongside other states on NATO’s Eastern flank, has become a priority target for hostile actions by such actors, especially the Russian Federation, which is increasingly interested in influencing social cohesion and the public agenda in the Romanian society.

     

    Shortly after the conclusions of the Supreme Defence Council were made public, the Special Telecommunications Service, which provided technical support in the election process, confirmed the existence of such attacks. STS indicated that the number and complexity of the attacks increased as the ballot was drawing near, but that they were held off and no weaknesses were identified in terms of the safe provision of IT&C services to the Permanent Electoral Authority, the organiser of the elections.

     

    Another conclusion of the Supreme Defence Council meeting was that the social network TikTok favoured Călin Georgescu, a candidate perceived as a pro-Russian, anti-EU and anti-NATO extremist, who won the first round of the presidential election.

     

    After analysing the documents presented to them, the Council members concluded that Georgescu had benefited from massive exposure because his TikTok campaign ads had not displayed the unique identification code assigned by the Permanent Electoral Authority, as the Romanian electoral legislation requires. His visibility thus increased significantly compared to the other contenders, who were identified by TikTok algorithms as presidential candidates and whose campaign content was massively filtered, which exponentially decreased their visibility among the platform users.

     

    TikTok, however, denied the accusations. In a statement issued shortly after the Council presented its conclusions, the Chinese company indicated that, to date, it had found no evidence of a “covert influencing operation” targeting the presidential elections in Romania and no evidence of foreign influence.

     

    However, the Supreme Defence Council called on national security authorities, on the agencies involved in the smooth running of the election process, and on criminal investigation bodies to take urgent steps to clarify the issue. (AMP)