EU Fines TikTok $600 Million Over China Data Transfers

The European Union has fined TikTok 530 million euros ($600 million) for transferring user data to China in violation of the bloc’s strict privacy laws, following a four-year probe, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

TikTok said it disagrees with the decision and plans to appeal, arguing the ruling only covers data practices before May 2023.

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, TikTok’s lead privacy regulator in the EU, found that the platform failed to adequately protect European users’ personal data when it was accessed by staff in China.

The watchdog also faulted the company for not being transparent about the data transfers and ordered full compliance within six months.

“TikTok failed to verify, guarantee and demonstrate that the personal data of [European] users… was afforded a level of protection essentially equivalent to that guaranteed within the EU,” said Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle.

TikTok said it disagrees with the decision and plans to appeal, arguing the ruling only covers data practices before May 2023. The company pointed to its ongoing “Project Clover” data localization initiative, which includes constructing three data centers in Europe to address regulatory concerns.