Poland Probes TikTok AI Propaganda Pushing Polexit Narratives

The digital frontline has shifted again. As of December 30, 2025, the Polish government officially demanded that Brussels launch a probe into TikTok AI propaganda. The accusation is specific and technical: the platform is allegedly hosting a coordinated disinformation campaign using synthetic media to drive a wedge between Poland and the European Union.

This isn't just about bad opinions online. It involves state-level accusations of Russian interference, weaponized algorithms, and a flood of artificial content designed to look like organic grassroots movements. For regular users scrolling through their feeds, the environment has become hostile, filled with accounts that look human but speak with the distinct, repetitive cadence of a machine.

Spotting the Fakes: User Experiences with TikTok AI Propaganda

Before dissecting the geopolitical maneuvering, it is vital to understand what this looks like on the ground. Users engaging with political content in Europe aren't just debating opposing views anymore; they are battling automated noise. TikTok AI propaganda doesn't always look like high-budget cinema. It often manifests as low-effort volume.

Regular observers of these comments sections have developed a "sixth sense" for identifying non-human actors. The pollution in the digital ecosystem has forced users to become amateur forensic analysts just to have a normal conversation.

Identifying Bot Patterns in TikTok AI Propaganda

If you are trying to determine whether you are arguing with a person or a script, experienced users suggest looking at the username first. The current wave of bot networks relies on lazy generation scripts. You will often see a format like "Name-Number" or random alphanumeric strings—think "Joh-n21" or "Mother21-Marry." Real people usually curate their handles; these networks generate them in batches.

Beyond the name, the volume is a giveaway. In recent observations of popular YouTube and TikTok posts concerning the EU, users noted distinct ratios. One report highlighted a thread with 350 comments where only a single entry appeared legitimate. The rest were variations of the same anti-EU, "Polexit" rhetoric, posted in rapid succession. When 99% of a comment section sings in perfect unison about a divisive topic, you aren't looking at public consensus. You are looking at a deployment.

The "Uncanny Valley" of Audio: Hearing the Glitch

The visual aspect of this propaganda uses AI-generated imagery—specifically, young women in traditional Polish folk dress—to evoke nationalistic emotion. But the audio is where the facade crumbles.

Polish speakers have pointed out a disturbing trend in these videos: the syntax is wrong. The words are Polish, but the sentence structure is Russian. This suggests the scripts are being written in Russian and fed into translation or text-to-speech AI tools without native verification. It creates a jarring experience for a native Pole—hearing their language spoken with a "foreign" logic by an avatar that is supposed to represent their own culture.

Furthermore, this TikTok AI propaganda bleeds into reality. Users have reported encountering people in daily life who repeat these specific, broken narratives. When online disinformation is effective, it bypasses critical thinking and becomes part of casual conversation, even among intelligent people who don't realize they are reciting a script written in Moscow and processed by a server farm.

The Official Charge: Warsaw vs. The Algorithm

On December 30, 2025, Poland’s Ministry of Digital Affairs stopped just complaining and started acting. Deputy Minister Dariusz Standerski confirmed that a formal letter was sent to the European Commission, accusing TikTok of violating the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Evidence of TikTok AI Propaganda in the December Complaint

The core of the complaint focuses on a breach of the DSA's requirements for Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs). These platforms are legally required to mitigate systemic risks, including election interference and civic discourse manipulation.

The Polish authorities collected specific evidence before pulling the trigger. They flagged videos promoting a "Polexit" (Poland exiting the EU) narrative that were not created by political activists, but generated by artificial intelligence. The key identifiers mentioned by the government align with what users see: synthesized audio and visual patterns that link directly to Russian disinformation operations.

While TikTok has stated they are cooperating and have removed the specific profiles flagged by the government, the Polish stance is that individual deletions are insufficient. The existence of these videos proves a systemic failure. The content wasn't just sitting there; it was being pushed.

The Mechanics of Influence: How the Content Spreads

The frustration expressed by digital sovereignty advocates isn't just that these videos exist, but that TikTok's architecture seems prioritized to amplify them. TikTok AI propaganda thrives because it generates high engagement, even if that engagement is outrage or confusion.

Recommender Systems Fueling TikTok AI Propaganda

A major point of contention is the "Recommender System"—the opaque algorithm that decides what you see next. Unlike a chronological feed, which shows content based on when it was posted, a recommender system shows content based on what keeps you glued to the screen.

Critics argue that this algorithmic curation is the engine of the disinformation crisis. By prioritizing "engaging" content, the system inadvertently (or negligently) boosts polarizing, radicalized material. If a bot network can artificially inflate the initial engagement on a Polexit video, the algorithm picks it up and serves it to thousands of real voters.

This has led to calls for a "hard reset" on how social media functions. The demand is simple: ban the black-box recommendation engines. If platforms were forced to revert to strict chronological feeds, the viral coefficient of artificial propaganda would collapse. A bot farm can post a thousand comments, but without an algorithm to amplify them into trending status, their reach remains limited.

The Legal Weapon: The Digital Services Act (DSA)

The European Union has one of the strictest digital rulebooks in the world, and this case is a test of its teeth. Poland's request for a probe isn't a polite suggestion; it's a trigger for a legal process that could cost ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, billions.

Consequences for Hosting TikTok AI Propaganda

Under the DSA, VLOPs face fines of up to 6% of their global annual turnover if they fail to manage risk. However, there is a growing sentiment that even this isn't enough. Discussions in policy circles are shifting toward fines exceeding 10%, arguing that current penalties are merely "cost of doing business" for tech giants.

The specific violation here is the failure to label and restrict AI-generated content that destabilizes the state. The DSA mandates that users must know when they are interacting with a machine or viewing synthetic media. If TikTok's detection systems failed to catch thousands of videos featuring AI-generated women speaking broken Polish, they are technically non-compliant.

This moves the debate from "content moderation" to "product liability." If a car manufacturer sells a vehicle with faulty brakes, they are liable. The argument here is that TikTok sold a content delivery system with faulty filters, allowing toxic TikTok AI propaganda to poison the information supply.

A Regional Pattern: From Romania to Poland

This incident in Poland is not an isolated glitch. It is part of a calculated regional strategy. Just a month prior, in November 2024, the European Commission opened formal proceedings against TikTok regarding the Romanian presidential elections. In that scenario, thousands of accounts were deployed to amplify right-wing candidates, flooding the ecosystem with similar anti-EU sentiment.

The pattern is undeniable. Eastern Flank NATO countries are being systematically targeted. The methodologies are identical: maximize social division, promote Euro-skepticism, and utilize the viral mechanics of TikTok to bypass traditional media gatekeepers.

The investigation requested by Poland serves as a critical juncture. It is an acknowledgement that "media literacy" education is too slow to combat the speed of algorithmic warfare. You cannot educate a population out of a problem when the adversary can generate millions of unique messages per hour. The solution, according to the Polish request, must be structural. The platforms must change, or they must pay.

FAQ Section

What makes the current Polexit content different from normal political opinions?

The content in question is largely TikTok AI propaganda generated by bots, not real users. It features AI-synthesized visuals of people and audio with specific linguistic errors, indicating it is mass-produced by non-Polish speakers, likely from Russia.

How does the Digital Services Act (DSA) apply to this situation?

The DSA requires large platforms like TikTok to assess and mitigate risks to democratic processes. Poland argues that by allowing the spread of unlabeled AI disinformation, TikTok failed its legal obligations to protect users from manipulation.

Can users turn off the algorithmic feed on TikTok?

Currently, TikTok's main interface is the "For You" page, which is algorithmically driven. While a "Following" tab exists, the app defaults to the algorithmic feed. Critics are calling for regulation that forces platforms to offer chronological feeds by default to limit the spread of viral propaganda.

What signs indicate a comment was written by a bot?

Common indicators include generic usernames (like "Name-Number"), repetitive phrasing across different accounts, and language that is grammatically correct but syntactically strange. A sudden flood of identical opinions on a post is also a strong signal of bot activity.

What happens if the EU finds TikTok guilty?

If the European Commission rules against the platform, TikTok could face fines amounting to 6% of its global revenue. Persistent non-compliance could lead to further sanctions or temporary bans within the EU market.