Poland has asked the European Commission to investigate TikTok after the social media platform hosted content generated by artificial intelligence, including calls for Poland to withdraw from the European Union, it said on Tuesday, adding that such content was almost certainly Russian disinformation.
A TikTok profile showing videos of young women dressed in Poland’s national colors and calling for the country to leave the EU has gained popularity in recent weeks. Now, said profile has disappeared from the platform.
The revealed content “represents a threat to public order, information security and the integrity of democratic processes in Poland and throughout the European Union,” said Deputy Minister of Digitalisation, Dariusz Standerski, in a letter sent to the Commission.
“The nature of the narratives, the way they are distributed and the use of synthetic audiovisual materials indicate that the platform is not meeting the obligations imposed on it as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP),” he added.
A Polish government spokesperson stated on Tuesday that the content was undoubtedly Russian disinformation, as the recordings contained Russian syntax.
“We are in contact with Polish authorities and have removed content that violates our rules,” a TikTok spokesperson told Reuters in an emailed comment.
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A spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed receipt of the letter, adding that, under the Digital Services Act, very large online platforms must assess all risks arising from their services, including those related to artificial intelligence.
“In March 2024, the Commission already sent a request for information to several online platforms, including TikTok, asking them to provide information on measures taken to address risks related to artificial intelligence,” the spokesperson commented in an emailed statement.
Representatives at the Russian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
EU countries are taking steps to prevent attempts to influence elections and local politics by foreign states, after warnings about Russian-sponsored espionage and sabotage. Russia has repeatedly denied interfering in foreign elections.
Last year, the Commission opened formal proceedings against social media company TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, for its alleged failure to limit electoral interference, especially in the November 2024 Romanian presidential election.
Poland has asked the Commission to launch proceedings in relation to possible violations of the EU’s wide-ranging Digital Services Law, which regulates how the world’s largest social media platforms operate in Europe.
According to the Law, large internet platforms such as X, Facebook, TikTok and others must moderate and remove harmful content, such as hate speech, racism or xenophobia. If they fail to do so, the Commission may impose fines of up to 6% of their overall annual turnover.
With information from Reuters
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