USR presidential candidate Elena Lasconi has accused independent candidate and former NATO deputy secretary-general Mircea Geoană of possible collaboration with a ‘troll farm’ ahead of the presidential elections slated for the end of November.
During an election debate hosted by Antena 3 CNN on Tuesday night, Lasconi asked Geoană via video message if he had recently met Tal Hanan, a former Israeli special forces agent. Last year, The Guardian reported on Hanan’s alleged role in covertly influencing more than 30 elections worldwide through hacking, sabotage and automated disinformation on social media.
Geoană responded by demanding proof of Lasconi’s allegations, saying she was misinformed. He claimed not to know Tal Hanan but confirmed meetings with advisers who worked for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In response, Lasconi shared several photos on Facebook. One shows Tal Hanan outside the Aspen Institute in Bucharest, where Geoană is the founding president, and another shows Geoană leaving the same building. Hanan confirmed to Digi 24 that he had recently visited Romania but declined to comment on his clients. When asked about the photo, he did not deny his presence in it, and sources close to him indicated that the photo “appears authentic.”
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, also a presidential candidate, joined the fray, telling journalists that a certain building housed “many servers”, allegedly used as a “bot farm” for Geoană.
Toni Greblă, president of the Permanent Electoral Authority, said that while no official complaints about troll farms had been received, his office was already coordinating with other agencies on the matter.
Digitalisation Minister Bogdan Ivan mentioned that his ministry’s “No Fake” reporting channel had received public inquiries about Geoană’s alleged troll farm, which were forwarded to relevant platforms for investigation.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Cătălin Predoiu said he was unaware of the matter but that he would look into it.
Lasconi then urged Ciolacu to formally notify the National Directorate for Cyber Security (DNSC) and the National Authority for the Management and Regulation of Communications in Romania (ANCOM) to take action against troll farms and to investigate Geoană’s online campaigning practices.
Lasconi, a former journalist, said she received the photos from a fellow journalist.
Journalist Emilia Șercan, known for her work on political plagiarism, criticised Lasconi, stating that journalists have an obligation to publish documented stories of public interest themselves, rather than passing them on to candidates for electoral use. Șercan and other journalists expressed concern that Lasconi’s actions could “harm the reputation of journalism” and called on her to clarify the situation transparently.
(Catalina Mihai | Sebastian Rotaru | Euractiv.ro)