European Commission suspends TikTok on work-linked staff devices

The European Commission has suspended the use of TikTok on its staff’s corporate devices and on personal devices enrolled in the institution’s mobile service, citing a need to strengthen cybersecurity.

Photo: European flags. © Håkan Dahlström, Spain, 2010 (CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons). Resized and cropped.

The management board’s decision, announced on February 23 by the Commission’s Representation in France, is an internal measure. It doesn’t extend to staff-owned devices outside that enrollment or establish an EU-wide public ban on the video-sharing app.

An internal cybersecurity measure

The restriction falls under the Commission’s cybersecurity policies for mobile devices used for professional communications. The institution says it builds on longstanding advice to staff to follow social-media best practices and remain alert to cyberthreats in their daily work.

According to the Commission, the suspension is intended to protect the institution against cyberthreats and activity that could be exploited in attacks targeting it. The announcement frames the decision as an early response to potential security warnings amid growing cyberthreats and IT incidents.

It doesn’t describe a specific breach caused by TikTok or present evidence of espionage. Its stated rationale is the protection of the Commission’s systems and staff, rather than a published finding that an attack has occurred.

The Commission also says it will keep the security of other social-media platforms under continuing review. That statement signals ongoing scrutiny, but doesn’t announce restrictions on any additional named service.

Source: European Commission Representation in France, February 23, 2023. © European Union. English paraphrase of the French-language announcement under CC BY 4.0.