By Philip Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS (Reuters)

The European Commission opened formal proceedings on Tuesday against social media firm TikTok due to its suspected failure to limit election interference, particularly during the Romanian presidential vote last month.

The Commission stated it will request information and investigate TikTok's policies regarding political advertisements and paid-for political content, as well as its recommendation systems and their vulnerability to manipulation.

The commencement of these formal proceedings enables the Commission to take additional enforcement actions and accept TikTok's commitments. There is currently no specified deadline for concluding these proceedings.

China's Bytedance-owned TikTok claimed to have safeguarded the integrity of its platform across over 150 elections worldwide and provided extensive information to the European Commission regarding its initiatives.

TikTok emphasized that it does not permit paid political advertisements and actively removes content that violates its misinformation and hate speech policies.

On December 5, the Commission directed TikTok to suspend data associated with the Romanian elections under the Digital Services Act (DSA), which governs the operations of the largest social media companies in Europe.

Romania's top court later annulled the presidential election following allegations of Russian interference and the victory of pro-Russia ultranationalist Calin Georgescu in the first round.

The Commission remains aware of the potential for interference in the upcoming German parliamentary elections in February and the Croatian presidential election starting on December 29.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the new investigation was prompted by serious indications of foreign interference in the Romanian presidential election.

"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," she conveyed in a statement.

This marks the third investigation the Commission has initiated against TikTok under the DSA, both concerning risks to minors. One investigation has been closed after TikTok agreed to eliminate TikTok Lite Rewards from the EU.