Poland has formally asked the European Commission to take supervisory action against TikTok, accusing the platform of enabling the large-scale spread of Russian disinformation aimed at undermining the country’s membership in the European Union. On 30 December 2025, Deputy Minister for Digital Affairs Dariusz Standerski submitted a request under the EU’s Digital Services Act, citing coordinated activity in the Polish-language segment of TikTok involving AI-generated content calling for Poland to leave the bloc, as outlined in an official government statement on AI-driven disinformation on TikTok and Poland’s intervention with the European Commission.
Standerski warned that the scale, structure and presentation of the videos suggested an organised influence operation rather than organic political debate. He argued that TikTok, as a very large online platform, had failed to put in place effective safeguards to limit the spread of synthetic content or to ensure transparency about its origin, thereby undermining the core objectives of the Digital Services Act.
Warsaw labels content as Russian influence operation
Government spokesperson Adam Szłapka said the videos circulating on TikTok amounted to Russian disinformation designed to weaken Poland’s position inside the EU. He stressed that the narrative promoted in the clips ran directly counter to Poland’s national interests while fully aligning with Moscow’s strategic goals, a claim further discussed in Polish media coverage of calls for European Commission oversight of TikTok amid disinformation concerns.
Szłapka also pointed to linguistic patterns in the videos, noting traces of Russian syntax in supposedly Polish-language material. He said state institutions possessed tools to counter hostile information activity and urged citizens to report suspicious content encountered online.
AI-generated videos and the challenge for platform regulation
The disputed content features AI-generated videos of young Polish women advocating “Polexit”, echoing ultra-nationalist and far-right talking points, criticising migration policy and attacking the current government. In his letter to Brussels, Standerski said the use of synthetic audiovisual material increased both the reach and credibility of the messages, creating risks for public order, information security and democratic processes across Poland and the wider EU.
He called on the Commission not only to consider opening formal proceedings against TikTok but also to require the platform to submit a detailed report on the scale, reach and characteristics of the identified content, as well as the measures taken to remove it and prevent further dissemination.
Part of a broader hybrid campaign against the EU
Polish officials frame the TikTok case as part of a wider pattern in which Russia increasingly uses artificial intelligence to amplify propaganda targeting Western societies and support for Ukraine. AI tools allow influence networks to generate large volumes of seemingly authentic content in short periods of time, complicating detection and moderation efforts.
The ultimate objective, Warsaw argues, is to fracture internal EU cohesion, weaken consensus on military, financial and humanitarian assistance to Kyiv, and erode public trust in Western institutions. Analysts say this marks a new phase of hybrid confrontation, requiring coordinated responses that combine regulation, technological countermeasures and greater public resilience, a view echoed by regional observers cited in analysis of Poland’s move against TikTok over alleged Russian disinformation.
