TikTok fined $600M over data transfer to China

European Union privacy watchdogs fined TikTok USD 600 million on Friday after a four-year investigation found that the video sharing app’s data transfers to China breached the EU’s strict data privacy rules.

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European Union privacy watchdogs fined TikTok USD 600 million on Friday after a four-year investigation found that the video sharing app’s data transfers to China breached the EU’s strict data privacy rules.

Ireland's Data Protection Commission also sanctioned TikTok for not being transparent with users about where their personal data was being sent and ordered the company to comply with the rules within six months.

The Irish national watchdog serves as TikTok's lead data privacy regulator in the 27-nation EU because the company's European headquarters is based in Dublin.

“TikTok failed to verify, guarantee and demonstrate that the personal data of (European) users, remotely accessed by staff in China, was afforded a level of protection essentially equivalent to that guaranteed within the EU,” Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said in a statement.

TikTok said it disagreed with the decision and plans to appeal.