The European Union is investigating TikTok, while China denies unlawfully storing data of European users.
The Chinese government today denied the accusations against it in a new European investigation targeting the TikTok platform, asserting that it is not involved in the illegal storage of European user data. This response came after the Irish Data Protection Authority, responsible for overseeing TikTok in Europe, initiated formal proceedings against the platform due to the transfer of user data to servers in China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated at a press conference in Beijing, “The Chinese government takes data privacy and security very seriously and protects it according to the law,” adding that China has “never requested and will not request companies or individuals to collect or store data illegally.”
The Irish data protection authority is seeking to verify whether TikTok complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regarding the transfer of personal data from Europe to servers in China, amid indications that some data was not only accessible from China but was indeed stored there.
Last May, TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, was fined €530 million for violations related to the protection of European user data, particularly concerning minors. At that time, the company attributed this to a technical issue, asserting that it had not provided any information to Chinese authorities nor received any requests in this regard.
However, the Irish authority believes that the assurances provided by the platform are insufficient in light of Chinese laws concerning national security, which allow Chinese authorities access to data held by companies. The current investigation aims to determine whether TikTok has implemented necessary measures to prevent any unlawful or unauthorized transfer of data.
For its part, the European Commission has yet to comment on the Chinese government’s statements but continues to emphasize the need for high-level protection of European citizens’ data. Meanwhile, TikTok continues to defend its compliance system, affirming its full cooperation with European authorities.
