Romania Toughens Campaign Rules for Social Media After Fallout

(Bloomberg) -- Romania approved tightened campaign rules for social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook ahead of the re-run of a canceled presidential election.

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Platforms will be obliged to remove content that breaches regulations within five hours of a request by Romania’s electoral authorities, or risk significant fines, according to a decree approved by the cabinet in Bucharest on Thursday.

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A spokesperson for Meta Platforms Inc, Facebook’s parent company, declined to comment when contacted by Bloomberg News. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“We’re changing the rules to ensure that they apply to everyone and that social media doesn’t favor a single candidate,” Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu told reporters before the cabinet meeting. The fines could reach as much as 5% of a company’s total revenue, or “several billions of euros,” he said.

Romania was plunged into its biggest political crisis since the fall of communism last year after a far-right, pro-Russian candidate, Calin Georgescu, emerged from obscurity to win the first round of the presidential election in November. Top security officials said his campaign was boosted with outside interference, particularly via TikTok, prompting the top court to cancel the election. A new contest will be held in May.

Online or offline campaign materials will need to be clearly flagged and their sponsors visibly identified, according to the decree.

Government spokesman Mihai Constantin said the dialog with the social media giants will be conducted through the European Commission, which he said will help Romania monitor adherence to the new rules.

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The size of the fine is intended to discourage media companies from allowing suspicious content and boost their potential compliance with the law, he told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

--With assistance from Yazhou Sun and Mark Sweetman.

(Updates with details about the approval of the rules from first paragraph, Meta reaction in third.)

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