EU opens investigation into TikTok over election interference

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission opened formal proceedings on Tuesday against social media firm TikTok over its suspected failure to assess and limit risks linked to elections, notably the Romanian presidential vote last month.

The Commission said it will look into TikTok's political advertisements and paid-for content as well as TikTok's recommender systems and the risks of it being manipulated.

Earlier this month, the Commission ordered TikTok to freeze data linked to the Romanian elections under the bloc's sweeping Digital Services Act, which regulates how the world's biggest social media companies operate in Europe.

The opening of formal proceedings empowers the Commission to take further enforcement steps and to accept commitments made by TikTok.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union needed to protect its democracies from foreign interference.

"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," she said in a statement.

This is the third investigation the Commission has launched against TikTok.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, editing by Charlotte Van Campenhout)