Concerns are high over possible foreign election interference through social media disinformation in Germany, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is currently polling in second place.
In December, the Romanian presidential election was canceled amid warnings of Russian influence via TikTok after ultranationalist Călin Georgescu came from behind to win the first round.
The heightened alarm is also due to new evidence of various types of foreign interference in Germany’s information landscape.
X owner Elon Musk’s public endorsement of the AfD has only poured oil on the fire. The German Parliament’s administration is investigating Musk’s amplification of the AfD as an illegal donation, according to German media.
The Digital Services Act requires very large online platforms — defined as those with over 45 million monthly active users in the EU — to identify and, if possible, mitigate risks coming from their services, including risks to electoral processes.
Friday’s test was jointly hosted by the Commission and the Federal Network Agency, with attendees including YouTube parent Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and X, as well as representatives from national authorities and civil society.
“The exercise, known as a stress test, featured several fictitious scenarios whose aim is to identify and reduce potential risks related to the elections, as defined under the Digital Services Act,” the European Commission said in a press release.
