The Data Protection Commission (DPC) in Ireland has fined TikTok €530 million, which is nearly $600 million. The fine is due to TikTok’s failure to protect European user data from possible access by Chinese authorities. The company also provided false information during the investigation.
This fine follows an official investigation into how TikTok transfers data from the European Economic Area (EEA) to China. The DPC found that TikTok did not put enough safeguards in place to stop Chinese authorities from accessing user data. The company also did not clearly explain how it protected users from Chinese laws on espionage and counter-terrorism.
Key Findings
The DPC revealed that TikTok employees in China could access user data from the EEA remotely. TikTok did not fully disclose this beforehand. The company initially claimed that no EEA data was stored in China. Later, it admitted that some data was stored there, though in limited amounts. The regulator called this a serious breach of transparency under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
TikTok, owned by Chinese tech firm ByteDance, denied giving data to Chinese authorities. The company said it has never received or followed any such requests. They also said they are working to improve how they manage and secure user data.
Broader Concerns
This ruling adds to the growing attention TikTok faces over its data practices. Lawmakers in the US and Europe worry that the app could be forced to share user info with the Chinese government.
With this fine, the DPC shows it might take more steps if TikTok keeps making false claims or if there are ongoing risks of foreign data access.
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