EU OPENS PROBE INTO TIKTOK DATA TRANSFER TO CHINA

Fri 11 July 2025:

An Irish regulator helping police European Union data privacy said Thursday it had launched an investigation into TikTok over the transfer of users’ personal data to China.

The Data Protection Commission said it was 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 Chinese-owned social media giant.

The dispute between TikTok and the European Union regulator, primarily Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC), centers on violations of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

In May 2025, TikTok was fined €530 million ($600 million) for illegally transferring European user data to China, risking access by Chinese authorities under laws that diverge from EU standards. The DPC found TikTok failed to ensure equivalent data protection and lacked transparency about these transfers. TikTok initially denied storing EU data in China but later admitted to “limited” storage, prompting further scrutiny.

The company was ordered to comply within six months or suspend data transfers. TikTok plans to appeal, citing its €12 billion Project Clover initiative for data security. This follows a 2023 €345 million fine for mishandling children’s data. Separately, the EU is investigating TikTok’s ad transparency and election integrity under the Digital Services Act.

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Tiktok and US

The dispute between TikTok and U.S. regulators, primarily the Department of Justice and Congress, revolves around national security concerns due to TikTok’s ownership by ByteDance, a Chinese company. In April 2024, President Biden signed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations by January 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban.

U.S. officials fear the Chinese government could access American users’ data or manipulate content for propaganda, citing China’s laws that may compel ByteDance to comply with intelligence demands. TikTok denies these claims, arguing the law violates First Amendment free speech rights for its 170 million U.S. users and pointing to its $1.5 billion Project Texas to store U.S. data domestically.

The Supreme Court upheld the ban in January 2025, but President Trump has delayed enforcement to September 17, 2025, seeking a sale. ByteDance resists selling, and China’s approval is needed for the algorithm’s transfer. Separately, the FTC sued TikTok in 2024 for violating children’s privacy laws (COPPA).

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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