The Data Protection Commission (DPC) in Ireland has fined TikTok €530 million for violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union. The DPC stated that the company failed to prove or confirm if users’ personal data was transferred to or accessed by employees in China.
In addition to the fine, TikTok has been instructed to immediately suspend the transfer or access of user data from China until they comply with GDPR guidelines within 6 months. It was discovered that user data in Europe was stored on servers in China, which is a breach of GDPR laws. TikTok has acknowledged this issue, claiming it affected a small number of users and has since been rectified.
Christine Grahn, TikTok’s Head of Public Policy in Europe, disagreed with the decision and announced plans to appeal every allegation. She mentioned that the incident occurred before 2023, which is when TikTok launched Project Clover to enhance the protection of users’ personal data in Europe with an investment of up to €1.2 billion.
TLDR: DPC fines TikTok €530 million for GDPR violation, instructs immediate suspension of data transfer from China, TikTok to appeal decision and implements Project Clover for data protection in Europe.
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