EU opens new probe into TikTok data transfer to China
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TikTok was fined in May by the Data Protection Commission over European data transfers to China.
PHOTO: AFP
- Irish regulator DPC is investigating TikTok for transferring European users' data to China.
- This follows a previous €530 million fine and concerns TikTok provided inaccurate information about data storage.
- The DPC, as lead EU regulator, ensures GDPR compliance for TikTok and other tech giants like Google and Meta.
AI generated
DUBLIN – An Irish regulator helping police European Union data privacy said on July 10 it had launched an investigation into TikTok over the transfer of European users’ personal data to servers in China.
TikTok was fined €530 million (S$793 million) in May by the Data Protection Commission (DPC) over European data transfers to China, though the Chinese social media giant had insisted this data was only accessed remotely.
The DPC on July 10 said it had been informed by TikTok in April that “limited EEA (European Economic Area) user data had in fact been stored on servers in China”, contrary to evidence presented by the company.
The regulator said it had expressed “deep concern” in its previous investigation that “TikTok had submitted inaccurate information”.
TikTok is a division of Chinese tech giant ByteDance.
But since it has its European headquarters in Ireland, the Irish authority is the lead regulator in Europe for the social platform – as well as others such as Google, Meta and Apple.
The DPC is tasked with ensuring companies comply with the EU’s strict General Data Protection Regulation, launched in 2018 to protect European consumers from personal data breaches.
It has imposed a number of big fines against tech companies as the EU seeks to rein in big tech firms over privacy, competition, disinformation and taxation. AFP
