The Parliamentary Committee on Petitions and Investigation of Abuses, led by the AUR, announces that it is investigating the legality of blocking or suspending accounts on social networks, including TikTok

The president of the Commission for the investigation of abuses, corruption and for petitions in the Chamber of Deputies, Laura Gherasim (AUR), announces on Wednesday that a process has been initiated to verify the legality of the blocking, suspension or deletion of user accounts on digital platforms, including TikTok. The approach, she says, is based on citizens' complaints and aims to “protect freedom of expression and the right to information”.

“The commission for the investigation of abuses, corruption and for petitions informs the public that, based on the petitions received from citizens, it has initiated a process of verification and analysis of situations regarding the legality regarding the blocking, suspension or deletion of user accounts on digital platforms, including TikTok, in Romania”, according to a press release sent by the president of the Commission for the investigation of abuses, corruption and for petitions, Deputy Laura Gherasim (AUR), quotes News.ro.

According to the document, this approach is based on respecting the fundamental rights of citizens to express their opinions and ideas and to have access to information of public interest, principles established by the Romanian Constitution (art. 30 and 31), as well as by the European legal framework, including the European Convention on Human Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU.

“The protection of these rights is essential for the democratic functioning of society and implies the responsibility of the authorities to ensure the transparency of decisions and the correctness of public communication”, the press release also states.

The Commission requests the support of lawyers and specialists in digital law and data protection, in order to:

1. Analyzing the way in which the authorities or other entities in Romania transmit and justify requests to block, suspend or delete accounts to digital platforms, as well as the legal basis invoked;
2. Verification of compliance with the procedures and legal guarantees provided for by national legislation and Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 on Digital Services (DSA) and the Code of Conduct regarding disinformation;
3. The formulation of recommendations of good administrative practices and legislative proposals aimed at ensuring the transparency of content moderation processes, the protection of users' rights and the accountability of authorities and digital platforms towards citizens;
4. Hearings of empowered institutions to clarify the competences, procedures and responsibilities in the matter, as well as the way of communicating decisions to digital platforms.

“The commission emphasizes that this approach has a strictly institutional character, is based on citizens' complaints and aims to ensure compliance with the law, the protection of freedom of expression and the right to information, as well as the public responsibility of the platforms and authorities involved,” the statement added.

Officials of the Parliamentary Commission finally announce that they will continue to monitor the evolution of these situations, listen to the competent institutions, request official data and inform the public transparently about the conclusions and measures ordered.