The National Communications Administration and Regulation Authority (ANCOM) will organize on March 27 a drill aimed at testing the capacity of entities involved in the electoral process and particularly of online platforms to address potential election manipulation attempts, notably various manipulation tactics, techniques and procedures, ANCOM said in a release on Monday.
"On March 3, ANCOM organized at the Victoria Palace of Government, in its capacity as coordinator of Romania's digital services, a roundtable meeting on the enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA), in the light of the upcoming May 2025 presidential election. The event brought together representatives of national authorities, the European Commission, of large online platforms and of the civil society. The discussions focused on the obligations falling on the Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and the Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs) as per the Digital Services Act, in the run-up to and during the elections. Topics such as the measures that VLOPs/VLOSEs should take when and if a DSA breach occurs in connection with the May 2025 election were also approached. (...) On March 27, ANCOM will organize a drill aimed at testing the capacity of the entities involved in the electoral process and, in particular, of the platforms to address manipulative behavior that could occur during the election period, in particular the various manipulation tactics, techniques and procedures," the release states.
The Digital Services Act aims to ensure a safe, predictable and trustworthy online environment.
"The guidelines on mitigating election-related systemic risks are intended for the providers of very large online platforms (VLOPs) and very large online search engines (VLOSEs), as their services are prone to the risk of exerting real or foreseeable negative effects on electoral processes, arising from the design, operation and use of those services. Very large online platforms and very large online search engines are under the direct supervision of the European Commission," ANCOM notes.
The roundtable meting organized on Monday at the government offices was attended by representatives of the Executive, the European Commission, the Permanent Electoral Authority, the National Audiovisual Council, the National Cybersecurity Directorate, the Ministry of the Interior and the Foreign Affairs Ministry, representatives of the major online platforms, specifically TikTok, Google, Meta and X, and representatives of civil society - specifically Save the Children Romania, the 'Elie Wiesel' National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania, Expert Forum, Active Watch, Funky Citizens, the Technology and Internet Association, and the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration.
ANCOM's role is to ensure compliance with the Digital Services Act and to draft secondary legislation, monitoring to this effect the online platforms' compliance with their obligations related to the management of reports on illegal content.
The Digital Services Coordinator cooperates with other relevant national authorities to implement the necessary measures and apply sanctions when necessary. It also coordinates nationwide activities and provides reports to the European Commission, contributing to the exchange of information and best practices within the European network of digital coordinators. Another essential aspect of the Digital Services Coordinator's activity is its participation in initiatives and task forces dedicated to protecting democratic processes, thus ensuring a safer and more transparent digital environment.
ANCOM mentions that in accordance with Art. 9 and 10 of the Digital Services Act, the relevant public authorities or institutions responsible for supervising a specific sector or activity field can issue orders against illegal content or information provision orders. Orders may also be issued by judicial authorities as part of dedicated actions, activities or procedures. It is also noteworthy that the authorities with powers in the offline environment in a specific field have the same powers in the online environment and may take measures to counter illegal content in the virtual environment depending on the field under their authority.
Comentează