TikTok as a tool of hybrid warfare? Anonymous accounts target Czech elections

Ahead of the upcoming elections in the Czech Republic, the analysis group Online Risk Labs has pointed to intense activity by anonymous accounts on TikTok that are spreading pro-Russian narratives and supporting radical parties such as Stačilo! or SPD.

They identified 286 interconnected accounts whose content generates five to nine million views per week—more than the official accounts of the leaders of traditional parties. The group points out that these are coordinated activities, sometimes even without the knowledge of the candidates themselves.

The Czech telecommunications authority has received several complaints and referred the matter to the European Commission as the supervisory authority for large platforms. TikTok and the Ministry of the Interior have not yet commented on the situation.

Similar interventions via social networks have also occurred in the past in Romania, where they even led to the annulment of election results. The SPD and Stačilo! are calling for Czechia to leave NATO and the European Union.

Even though Andrej Babiš's ANO party is leading in the polls, it could theoretically need precisely these parties to form a majority.

(reuters, max)