Committee publication · Correspondence · 3 February 2026
Correspondence with the Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs at TikTok, relating to the disinformation diplomacy inquiry, dated 30 and 14 January 2026
From: Foreign Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Disinformation diplomacy: How malign actors are seeking to undermine democracy
Summary
TikTok's Director of Public Policy responds to the Foreign Affairs Committee's invitation to give evidence on foreign interference and disinformation, accepting participation but proposing private sessions to discuss sensitive detection methods without compromising security. TikTok offers written, private, or informal briefing formats, with public testimony as a secondary option alongside other platforms.
Key findings
- TikTok acknowledges the inquiry's importance and confirms publication of Quarterly Transparency Reports documenting identified Covert Influence Operations.
- TikTok proposes private evidence sessions (written, formal, or informal briefing at company offices) as the primary means to provide detailed insight while protecting detection methods.
- TikTok raises concern that public disclosure of identification and disruption methods could enable bad actors to evade detection or refine targeting tactics.
- TikTok offers conditional participation in public hearing alongside Meta and X if the Committee deems it necessary, but only for high-level discussion.
- TikTok and Committee's Clerk agreed that the original 2 February 2026 hearing date was insufficient preparation time; Committee has shown flexibility in rescheduling.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Dame Emily Thornberry MP, Ali Law, TikTok Information Technologies UK Limited, Meta, X, Foreign Affairs Committee
Notable line
“Disclosures of the methods and practices we use to identify, disrupt and remove this kind of coordinated behaviour may provide insight to bad actors on how to avoid detection or to target their efforts.”
Key Quotes
“TikTok agrees with the Committee that this is an incredibly important topic and goes to the heart of how the UK (and other nations) defend democratic processes and protect against coordinated attempts to undermine public trust.”
“… it is vitally important that the methods and practices we use are not disclosed in a public forum as doing so could put these processes, and by extension, our users at risk.”
“Given the increasing concerns of foreign interference in democratic processes and institutions globally, we are inviting you to give public evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee on the topic of social media platforms and coordinated inauthentic behaviour.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗