User data management is coming back to haunt TikTok in Europe. The Irish regulator has been investigating a breach of the GDPR, the data protection regulation, since 2021. The cause: the illegal transfer of personal data of European users to China. According to Bloomberg, the fine could exceed €500 million, making it one of the largest of its kind.
TikTok on the brink on both sides of the Atlantic
In 2023, the Irish Data Protection Commission fined Meta fined €1.2 billion and Amazon €746 million. And in September of the same year, TikTok was already fined €345 million for breaches related to children's data protection.
Under the GDPR, the competent authority to investigate a company is that of the country where its European headquarters are located. In TikTok's case, Ireland is therefore in charge of the case—as is the case for many multinationals that have set up their headquarters in the country. In addition to the hefty fine, the regulator is expected to order the social network to suspend its illegal data processing practices in China. The country is a target of privacy advocates who denounce the mass surveillance regime as an infringement of fundamental rights.
In the United States, ByteDance (TikTok's parent company) is expected to sell its American operations to a company endorsed by the White House starting April 5. Donald Trump has plans to establish a "TikTok America," but Beijing remains unconvinced. well-founded of the operation…
Source: Bloomberg
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