Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

TikTok faces privacy investigations by EU watchdog

TikTok faces privacy investigations by EU watchdog

TikTok is under investigation by The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) - its lead regulator in the EU - over two privacy-related issues.

The watchdog is looking into its processing of children's personal data, and whether TikTok is in line with EU laws about transferring personal data to other countries, such as China.

TikTok said privacy was "our highest priority".

The Irish DPC said it was specifically looking into GDPR-related issues.

These are the EU privacy laws which can potentially lead to enormous fines of up to 4% of a company's global turnover.

It said the first inquiry would examine "the processing of personal data... for users under age 18, and age verification measures for persons under 13". It will also look into how transparent TikTok has been about how it processes such data.

It is not the first time the Irish DPC has investigated such matters. In October 2020, it announced it was looking into Instagram's handling of children's personal data.

And Tiktok has already faced a similar collective legal action in the UK, spearheaded by a former children's commissioner.

The second investigation announced this week is a more uniquely TikTok problem.

It is around "transfers by TikTok of personal data to China", the DPC said. TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, and has repeatedly faced accusations that it shares data with Chinese companies - or even the Chinese government, something the firm strenuously denies.

During Donald Trump's presidency, it was nearly banned in the US - although that order has since been dropped.

The DPC's investigation is more tightly concerned with whether TikTok is obeying EU rules on transfers of data to so-called "third countries" - places to which the EU has not given a seal of approval over their privacy laws.

TikTok has already made a series of changes to its systems to fend off both allegations.

In January, it made all under-16s' accounts private by default, as part of a bid to improve child safety on the platform.

It followed that up in July by deleting millions of accounts which it said belonged to under-13s, who are not supposed to be allowed on the platform at all.

And in August, it announced it would no longer send push notifications to children's accounts during certain times of the day, saying it was designed to help children study, relax, and sleep.

In a statement, TikTok said: "We've implemented extensive policies and controls to safeguard user data and rely on approved methods for data being transferred from Europe, such as standard contractual clauses. We intend to fully co-operate with the DPC."

The Irish data commissioner takes a lead role in regulating many of the world's largest tech firms, as the European headquarters of companies such as TikTok, Facebook, and Google are all based in Ireland.

However, it has been accused by some of having a lax approach to enforcement.

For example, it recently handed WhatsApp the second-largest GDPR fine on record, of €225m (£193m).

It initially recommended a much smaller fine of €30m-50m, but faced objections from the data watchdogs of several other EU states. The disagreement eventually went before a formal EU board, which told the Irish DPC to change its finding and issue a higher fine.

Max Schrems, a well-known privacy advocate and established critic of the Irish regulator, said at the time that incident "shows how the DPC is still extremely dysfunctional".


WATCH: What is GDPR?


Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×