TikTok fined millions for illegally sending users' data to China
Ireland's Data Protection Commission found the social media app's data transfers to broke strict data privacy rules in the EU.
It also fined the company for not being transparent with users about how their data was being processed.
TikTok has been ordered to comply with the rules within six months.
The Data Protection Commission is powerful lead regulator in the EU because TikTok's European headquarters are based in .
"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 plans to lodge an appeal and said the decision focused on a "select period" that ended in May 2023 and "does not reflect the safeguards now in place".
It specifically referred to a data localisation enterprise called Project Clover which saw three new data centres built in Europe."The facts are that Project Clover has some of the most stringent data protections anywhere in the industry, including unprecedented independent oversight by NCC Group, a leading European cybersecurity firm," said Christine Grahn, TikTok's European head of public policy and government relations.
Read more from Sky News:
TikTok's parent company is based in China and it has been under scrutiny in the EU over how it handles users' data.
There have long been concerns, also voiced by US politicians, over how Chinese authorities could access and use that data.
The watchdog said TikTok failed to address "potential access by Chinese authorities" to European users' personal data.
Chinese laws justifying that access, on grounds like anti-terrorism, counter-espionage, cybersecurity and national intelligence, were identified as "materially diverging" from EU standards.
Ms Grahn said TikTok has "has never received a request for European user data from the Chinese authorities, and has never provided European user data to them."
Under the EU rules, known as the General Data Protection Regulation, European user data can only be transferred outside of the bloc if there are safeguards in place to ensure the same level of protection.
Ms Grahn said TikTok was being "singled out" despite using the "same legal mechanisms" that thousands of other companies in Europe do.
The investigation, which opened in September 2021, also found TikTok's privacy policy at the time did not name third countries, including China, where user data was transferred.
The watchdog said the policy, which has since been updated, failed to explain that data processing involved "remote access to personal data stored in Singapore and the United States by personnel based in China".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
29 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Can Trump's Patriot Missiles Help Ukraine Turn the Tide Against Russia?
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The United States will send additional Patriot air-defense systems to Ukraine, part of a European Union–funded deal intended to bolster Kyiv's defenses against intensifying Russian missile and drone attacks and coming as President Donald Trump is voicing increased frustrations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Sunday, Trump confirmed that Patriots "which they desperately need" would be sent, paid for "100 percent" by European allies. Trump, returning to Washington from New Jersey, added pointedly: "He [Putin] talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening. I don't like it." Trump is expected to announce further measures on Russia in meetings with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and lawmakers this week. Germany has already agreed to finance at least two Patriot batteries, and Norway reportedly joined in funding additional units. Ukraine currently operates a small number of Patriots donated during the Biden administration but has pleaded for more to defend critical infrastructure and population centers. This photograph taken during sunset on March 6, 2025 shows Patriot air defence systems installed at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, a logistics hub for US and European military aid to Ukraine, in Jasionka, south-eastern Poland. This photograph taken during sunset on March 6, 2025 shows Patriot air defence systems installed at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, a logistics hub for US and European military aid to Ukraine, in Jasionka, south-eastern Poland. Photo by Sergei GAPON / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI GAPON/AFP via Getty Images What is the Patriot system? Developed by Raytheon Technologies, the MIM-104 Patriot—short for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target—is a mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system designed to intercept aircraft, cruise missiles, drones and tactical ballistic missiles. A valuable defensive weapon, a typical Patriot battery consists of radar and control units, power supply, launchers and support vehicles. The system has evolved since its debut in the 1980s. Early PAC-2 missiles used blast-fragmentation warheads, while newer PAC-3 missiles employ a hit-to-kill mechanism for greater accuracy. Depending on the configuration, the Patriot can engage targets up to 100 miles away at altitudes exceeding 14 miles. Those capabilities don't come cheap. Each battery costs about $1.1 billion, with individual interceptors running $4 million apiece, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). 'Not a game changer by itself' Mark F. Cancian, a senior adviser at CSIS, told Newsweek the major effect of the U.S.-EU deal is intended to be more political than tactical — pressuring Moscow to enter ceasefire negotiations, which Trump emphasized during his press conference. "The amounts are significant — Trump talked about 'billions of dollars' — but it will take months for the packages to be put together," Cancian said. "I expect announcements of equipment packages of several hundred million dollars every few weeks." He cautioned that the focus on the Patriot system is disproportionate to its battlefield impact. "There is too much focus on Patriot. It's an important capability but designed to defend against ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. About 10 percent of Russia's attacking missiles are in those categories," Cancian said. "Most of the attacks come from the low-technology suicide drones. For these, Ukraine needs a wide variety of air defense systems, which will likely be in the packages." In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following Russia's drones attack in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following Russia's drones attack in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. AP Cancian stressed that Ukraine's needs extend far beyond air defenses. "It also needs weapons, munitions, and supplies across the board since its armies in combat go through these at a high rate," he said. The EU deal is meant to show the West's united front against Russian aggression, to force Moscow to "participate in ceasefire negotiations," he said. "But the real battlefield need is broader — Ukraine needs a wide range of air defenses for the drones and low-cost attacks they face daily, and they need weapons, munitions, and supplies of all kinds. Patriot is important, but it is not a game changer by itself." Why is the U.S. sending more aid now? Trump's decision to broker the EU deal reflects both a response to Ukraine's urgent pleas and his own frustrations with Putin's continued escalation in spite of White House efforts to bring him to the negotiating table. As Trump himself said: "We're not paying anything for them... but we will get them Patriots." The announcement also reverses a months-long freeze on U.S. weapons shipments to Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently told reporters after meetings with European leaders that he had received "all necessary political signals" for aid to resume and described his dialogue with Trump as "constructive and very positive." The German government confirmed that Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will meet U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week to finalize details of the Patriot transfers, amid Berlin's continued refusal to send its long-range Taurus missiles over fears of escalation on European soil.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
EU threatens countermeasures over US tariffs; Trump says he is open to talks
BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON – The European Union on July 14 accused the United States of resisting efforts to strike a trade deal and warned of countermeasures if no agreement is reached to avoid the punishing tariffs President Donald Trump has threatened to impose starting on August 1. More: Trump to send Ukraine weapons through NATO, threatens secondary tariffs on Russia Trump, meanwhile, said he was open to further discussions with the EU and other trading partners before new 30% tariffs kick in next month and that EU officials would be coming to the United States for negotiations. "They would like to do a different kind of a deal and we're always open to talk, including to Europe," he told reporters in the Oval Office. "In fact, they're coming over. They'd like to talk." Trump stepped up his trade war on Saturday, saying he would impose a 30% tariff on most imports from the EU and Mexico next month, following similar warnings for other countries, including Asian economic powerhouses Japan and South Korea. The EU has so far held off on retaliatory measures to avoid a spiralling tit-for-tat escalation while there remains a chance of negotiating an improved outcome. But EU ministers emerging from a meeting in Brussels on Monday appeared closer to striking back. Speaking at a news conference following the meeting, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called the tariff threat "absolutely unacceptable." More: Trump announces 30% tariffs on Mexico, European Union EU Trade Chief Maros Sefcovic said he believed there was "still a potential to continue the negotiations" but voiced frustration with Washington's failure to agree to a deal with its largest trading partner. "As I said before, it takes two hands to clap," he said, adding that EU member states agreed that the 27-nation bloc would need to take countermeasures if the trade negotiations with the U.S. fail. Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani earlier said the EU had already prepared a list of tariffs worth 21 billion euros ($24.5 billion) on U.S. goods if the two sides fail to reach a deal. Meanwhile, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on July 14 that she believed the two sides would reach a deal on security ahead of the August 1 deadline. The White House has clarified that the 30% tariffs on Mexico, which Trump has blamed for not doing more to stem the flow of fentanyl into the United States, would not apply to goods shipped under the USMCA trade agreement, which covers the vast majority of goods shipped from Mexico to the U.S. Sheinbaum said any agreement would not involve U.S. forces entering Mexican territory, as previously floated by Trump. European stocks dip White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said trade talks were still underway with the European Union, Canada and Mexico. Canada is facing a 35% tariff starting in August. The threatened duties have sounded alarm bells in Europe, notably in Germany, the EU's biggest economy. After Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday that a 30% tariff would "hit the German export industry to the core", the head of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry called for swift action. "The escalating tariff conflict with the USA poses a serious threat to many German companies," Volker Treier said on Monday. "Tough negotiations are now needed to avert a collapse of transatlantic trade." European industries, meanwhile, are preparing for the worst. Producers of Italy's renowned Chianti wine in Tuscany, for example, have demanded a new export strategy backed by the EU targeting alternative markets such as South America, Asia and Africa. Since returning to the White House earlier this year, Trump has sought to use an array of tariffs to boost the U.S. economy, push companies to invest in the United States and revitalize manufacturing. His initial "Liberation Day" tariff announcement in April, which set a baseline tariff of 10% on all imports and higher duties on certain products or countries, raised fears of global supply chain disruptions, sending shockwaves through markets. But subsequent U-turns and delays, including a 90-day pause on most duties aimed at allowing time for trade deal negotiations, have left investors largely inured to Trump's chaotic policy rollouts. European stocks fell on Monday, while U.S. indices were little changed in response to the latest salvo. European autos and alcohol stocks were among those hardest hit. Scrambling for deals The looming August 1 deadline has set off a scramble by governments around the world to seal trade agreements. South Korea's top trade envoy said on Monday it may be possible to strike a deal "in principle" by the deadline and signalled that Seoul may be open to allowing the U.S. greater access to its agricultural markets, local media reported. Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo, who held high-level talks with U.S. officials last week, said South Korea was seeking to avoid "unfair" U.S. tariffs on key sectors that would undermine industrial cooperation with its main security ally and trading partner, media reports said. "I believe it's possible to reach an agreement in principle in the U.S. tariff negotiations, and then take some time to negotiate further," the Newsis news agency quoted Yeo as telling local media reporters. "Twenty days are not enough to come up with a perfect treaty that contains every detail," he added. South Korea is in a race to reach a compromise trade pact in the hope of avoiding a 25% tariff slapped on its exports, the same level faced by Japan.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
US Threatens New Tariffs Against EU, Mexico
Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Peterson Institute for International Economics, breaks down the impact of new tariffs against the EU and Mexico that were announced by the Trump administration and what impact that move could have on other trade relationships. (Source: Bloomberg)
