TikTok is sending a 53-person team to the Czech Republic to monitor content ahead of the country’s October elections, citing supposed concerns about foreign interference.
A recent poll by STEM, commissioned by the Czech Interior Ministry, claimed that 78% of Czechs are worried about political manipulation via social media.
Piotr Żaczek, TikTok’s communications manager for Central Europe, said a special “elections task force” will be deployed in the country.
“We don’t allow paid political promotion, political advertising, or fundraising by politicians and political parties,” Żaczek said.
The team will reportedly focus on identifying fake videos of public figures making political statements—particularly those generated using artificial intelligence. TikTok requires users to label synthetic content, with enforcement handled by both algorithms and human moderators.
The move follows recent claims of election interference in Europe, most notably in Romania, where a presidential vote was annulled after courts cited manipulation. Czech officials say they are concerned about similar disruptions, pointing to TikTok’s alleged role in boosting support for Romanian candidate Calin Georgescu—branded “pro-Kremlin” by critics.
