As Hungary’s parliamentary election day nears, TikTok has announced that it has purged several covert networks attempting to interfere with the electoral process. The move is part of an effort to combat the rising tide of disinformation ahead of the vote.
TikTok confirmed to the media that since December, it has banned over 300 accounts that were impersonating election candidates or elected officials. Additionally, the platform took action against six covert influence networks. Most of these networks were found to be promoting narratives favorable to the ruling Fidesz party, while smaller networks were dedicated to spreading negative content targeting Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his party.
False Narratives Disrupt the Campaign
Hungarian fact-checking organization Lakmusz noted that a significant volume of false or misleading political content has circulated during the campaign, primarily targeting opposition leader Péter Magyar. This content appeared on fake websites disguised as legitimate news outlets, spreading rumors that Magyar was planning a "coup" or intended to reinstate mandatory military service.
Research by Lakmusz indicates that these operations share similarities in their coordination tactics and deceptive infrastructure with previous activities linked to Russian actors. However, there is currently no direct evidence to suggest these activities are being directed by the Kremlin.
Meanwhile, the investigative outlet Direkt36 revealed "organized operations" targeting the IT systems of Magyar’s Tisza Party. When IT staff associated with the party attempted to expose these attacks, they were subsequently subjected to criminal investigations and raids by Hungarian authorities. Government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács claimed on social media that Ukrainian intelligence services, in collaboration with opposition figures and a journalist, orchestrated these activities, though he provided no evidence. The Ukrainian IT Army subsequently denied all allegations.
Balázs Orbán, the campaign director for the ruling Fidesz party, accused social media platforms of suppressing their campaign materials. He alleged that Facebook users had been unable to "like" Fidesz-related content over the past few days. A spokesperson for Meta denied these claims, stating that no restrictions had been placed on the Prime Minister’s account and that the platform’s systems fairly enforce community guidelines to identify and combat any coordinated abuse of reporting mechanisms.
This election is widely viewed as the most significant challenge to Viktor Orbán’s rule since he took office in 2010. His primary challenger, Péter Magyar—a former Fidesz insider—is leading in several polls. Currently, more than a quarter of Hungarian voters remain undecided.
