Need to enforce the Digital Services Act to protect democracy on social media platforms including against foreign interference and biased algorithms

Dear President, honourable Members, democracies today face growing challenges from interference. Social media plays a significant role in this. Last year, we witnessed the so-called Doppelganger campaign, a Russian influence operation on Facebook and Instagram. We initiated formal proceedings under the Digital Services Act (DSA). In Romania, presidential elections were annulled after allegations of manipulation on TikTok. This underscores the importance of free and fair elections for our democracy. The DSA provides a legal framework defining responsibilities for large online platforms. These platforms must conduct risk assessments and take measures for election integrity. Transparency is essential; platforms must be clear about their recommendation systems and content moderation practices. Users can opt-out of profiling, enabling alternative social media feeds. The EU is preparing the Democracy Shield, which will address threats to democracy and strengthen election integrity.