Meta Platforms Inc. has been scrutinised in Romania for facilitating more than 25 Facebook pages showcasing 4,100 political Facebook ads favouring far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu over Elena Lasconi. This alleged campaign has sparked fresh debate about the role of social media influence on a nation’s elections.
These pages were linked by shared hosting, advertising, and email infrastructures, suggesting a centralised operation. The network’s boosted ads painted Lasconi as a “devil” and a Western puppet while portraying Georgescu, a pro-Russia, TikTok-savvy candidate, as a “president patriot” and defender of Romanian sovereignty.
Despite the sophistication of the campaign, the identities of those orchestrating it remain unclear, reports Bloomberg. The effort was financially substantial, with political ad spending reaching €264,909 ($279,610).
Researchers also found that the ads, which ran across Facebook and Instagram, garnered up to 199 million views since August, according to MRseta’s Ad Library.
The campaign highlights Meta’s role in amplifying polarising narratives during the election, expanding the focus beyond ByteDance’s TikTok, which had already faced criticism for allegedly favouring Georgescu.
Roman authorities have accused TikTok of giving the nationalist candidate undue exposure, while the intelligence services declassified documents indicating foreign ‘state actors,’ possibly Russian, had coordinated hybrid attacks during the campaign. Moscow has denied the allegations.
Meta declined to directly address the allegations, citing a previous comment by Nick Clegg, its president of global affairs, who stated there was “no evidence of major incidents” on its platforms in Romania. He also emphasised Meta’s regular communication with Romanian authorities during the elections.
Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the November 24 election results, citing unprecedented meddling. This decision followed reports of Russian influence, with intelligence documents highlighting coordinated disinformation campaigns. Georgescu’s TikTok-centric strategy and the Facebook ad campaign exemplify how digital platforms have become powerful tools for electoral influence.
Recently, Meta announced that AI-generated misinformation remains under 1% in major elections. In October 2024, reports emerged that paramilitary groups in the United States were using Facebook to coordinate training and information sharing before the US elections.
In April, research by Mozilla and CheckFirst highlighted that big tech companies like Google, Meta, and TikTok were not ready to combat misinformation and paid influence.
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