Nicușor Dan warns that the elections are vulnerable to online manipulation, fake accounts, and content generated by artificial intelligence

President Nicușor Dan warned on Friday, at an event organized by the Constitutional Court of Romania, that the legitimacy of elections no longer depends solely on the accurate counting of votes. The head of state said that the way campaigns are conducted and how citizens form their opinions have been radically changed by the expansion of the digital sphere.

The speech took place at the opening of the Working Meeting on “The Information Society and Constitutional Democracy.” Nicușor Dan listed algorithm manipulation, targeted political advertising, inauthentic campaigns and the use of artificial intelligence to produce false materials among the vulnerabilities.

The president warned that the legitimate voice of citizens can be drowned out by networks of fake accounts or by the way platforms distribute information. He stressed that, once false information has spread to a significant part of the population, correcting it becomes difficult.

For the authorities, the head of state identified two main directions: adapting legislation and ensuring that institutions function in real time. At the same time, he called for solutions to protect the integrity of elections without restricting freedom of expression and drew attention to the difficulties involved in regulating the financial flows of election campaigns.