One of the critical questions surrounding Romania’s political, social, and democratic crisis
is: what happened on TikTok? Why is it impossible to conduct thorough research, and
how we could use the retention order issued by the European Commission requiring
TikTok to preserve data related to the Romanian elections?

To address this, we must consider multiple perspectives, beginning with the current
challenges researchers face in accessing social media data and the role of regulators,
such as the European Commission and national Digital Services Coordinators (DSCs), in
enforcing the Digital Services Act (DSA). This section is an attempt to shed some light
into this complicated situation. In brief, this is what we advocate for and why:

• Enhanced transparency in data access: platforms must provide comprehensive
  access to data through APIs and other tools. Scrapeable information should be
  made systematically available to researchers.
• Transparent political content moderation: TikTok’s lack of transparency is
  particularly concerning. Its Ad Library is dysfunctional, with no clear verification of
  advertiser identities or spending. This opacity undermines accountability.
• Independent advisory boards for DSCs: national DSCs tasked with implementing
  the DSA should include advisory boards comprising civil society organizations
  (CSOs) and private sector experts. These boards would regularly engage with
  authorities to build capacity in digital regulation, disinformation monitoring, and
  related fields.
• Public access to retained data: TikTok must make publicly available the data
  retained under the EU Commission’s order. This should cover not only the postelection period but ideally all of November 2024, if not the entire year.
• Exploratory research beyond APIs: while APIs provide valuable data, they are
  insufficient for understanding how algorithms influence user experiences and
  amplify content. Exploratory research into recommender systems, such as
  TikTok’s “heating system,” where employees manually boost content virality, is
  crucial for identifying potential manipulation and the mechanisms driving
  engagement.