TikTok sends your data to China? EU confirms and fines it by $600 million
Should TikTok privacy concerns have already crossed your mind, this ruling by the European Commission might further heighten those worries.
It appears that the European Union shares the apprehensions of the U.S. regarding potential TikTok data breaches. The Irish Data Protection Commission has taken action by imposing a penalty on the company for transferring user data to its Chinese headquarters.
The European branch of TikTok is headquartered in Ireland, giving the Irish government jurisdiction over the company. Recently, they levied a significant fine of approximately $600 million against the company, making it one of the biggest penalties issued under the European Union’s data protection regulations.
TikTok stores user data on Chinese servers?
The Irish Data Protection Commission has reported that a part of European user data is kept in China, and this data transfer occurs with minimal security measures in place.
The primary issue at hand involves the potential for the Chinese government to obtain user data, which might be driven by anti-terrorism efforts or similar motives.
As a gamer, I was taken aback when I learned that at some stage, it came to light that TikTok had been storing certain data on Chinese servers – something they’d repeatedly denied earlier. This news, reported by The New York Times, left me feeling a bit uneasy about the app I use daily.
It’s quite logical to infer that data transfer from the EU to China might also apply to users residing outside of the European Union.
TikTok responses
The company is going to appeal this decision. Their main points are the following.
- TikTok never received any request from the Chinese government about the EU user’s data.
- Building data centers with the European Union is a big initiative by TikTok.
In Ireland, the court needs to rule on this matter. Yet, for TikTok enthusiasts, the potential penalty for such a lucrative corporation is less relevant. However, it’s not just the U.S. administration that expresses concerns over TikTok’s user data protection; the issue has become a global topic of discussion as well.
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2025-05-07 10:49