TikTok is under fresh investigation by European regulators over the transfer of user data to China, raising renewed concerns about privacy and surveillance risks.
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), TikTok’s lead privacy regulator in the European Union, launched the new inquiry Thursday following revelations that the company may have stored European user data on Chinese servers, despite previous assurances to the contrary, News.Az reports, citing Ap News.
Earlier this year, TikTok was fined €530 million ($620 million) for breaching the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). That probe concluded the company exposed users to potential remote access by Chinese employees, a risk seen as violating Europe’s strict data rules.
The DPC said the latest investigation will assess the lawfulness of TikTok’s data transfers, focusing on whether appropriate safeguards were in place under GDPR.
“The purpose of the inquiry is to determine whether TikTok has complied with its relevant obligations under the GDPR in the context of the transfers now at issue,” the watchdog said in a statement.
TikTok, owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, has not yet commented on the new inquiry.
Under GDPR, companies can only transfer data outside the EU if adequate privacy protections exist. China is not among the few countries recognized by the EU as having such protections.
The investigation adds to growing international scrutiny of TikTok’s data practices. Western officials and lawmakers have repeatedly raised fears that the app could be exploited by Chinese authorities to gather sensitive information.
The probe comes amid ongoing global debates over TikTok’s operations, including in the U.S., where discussions continue over potential bans or forced divestment of its U.S. operations.
