TikTok, which left YouTube behind for the first time in its history, is on the target board CPD, Data Protection Commission. This is neither more nor less than the Irish Data Protection Commission, the equivalent of the French CNIL. The institution announced on Monday, September 14 Launching an investigation into the Chinese social network.
These investigations will focus on two specific and particularly sensitive themes: Transfer of personal data of European users to China and processing of data of minors registered on TikTok. As DPC reminds us, TikTok ByteDance’s parent company could be fined up to £100,000 if serious breaches of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) are detected. 4 percent of its turnover.
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TikTok is at the center of a new European investigation
It must be said that the DPC’s fears were justified. The Trump administration had temporarily banned TikTok from the American App Store and Google Play Store due to strong suspicions about the transfer of American user data to Chinese servers. After the presidential election, Joe Biden lifted the sanctions that burdened TikTok, but this does not mean that the social network is no longer under surveillance, quite the opposite.
The American government, through the Committee on Foreign Investment (Cfius), is investigating the risks that Chinese companies may represent to American national security. TikTok and WeChat on the list of assets to watch. Regarding the processing of minors’ data, TikTok is barely recovering from the scandal that occurred in April 2021, in which the social network allegedly collected millions of children’s data without their knowledge, all for advertising purposes.
Of course, the social network was quick to react to the DPC launching these investigations: “We have implemented significant measures to protect user data and rely on approved mechanisms for data transferred outside Europe. Implementation teams were reassured in the columns of the Financial Times.
Source : Finance Times
