Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, which is the lead EU regulator for many tech giants, has reportedly launched two investigations into the Chinese-owned video platform TikTok. The two investigations center on the platform’s collection of the personal data of minors and the transfer of user data to China.
Reuters reports that the lead data privacy regulator in the European Union has opened two separate investigations into the Chinese-owned video platform TikTok in relation to the processing of the personal data of minors and the transfer of user data to China.
Chinese flags are waved during a rehearsal for a ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Chinese Communist Party at Tiananmen Gate in Beijing Thursday, July 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
The Irish Data Protection Commission regulates many of the world’s top tech giants within the European Union due to many of the firms basing their regional headquarters in Ireland. The Data Protection Commission is allowed to impose fines of up to 4 percent of companies’ global revenue if they are found to have broken EU regulations.
In August, TikTok announced that it was introducing stricter privacy controls for its teenage users in an attempt to addressed allegations that it failed to protect children from hidden advertisements and inappropriate content. A recent report from the Wall Street Journal outlined how TikTok’s algorithm has continued to promote pornographic content and drug use to underage users.
The first probe being launched by the Irish Data Protection Commission relates”to the processing of personal data in the context of platform settings for users under age 18 and age verification measures for persons under 13.”
The second investigation will focus on the transfer of personal data to China by TikTok and whether the company is complying with EU data laws. A TikTok spokesperson says that the company has extensive policies and controls to prevent any misuse of user data and uses EU-approved methods of data transfer.
The spokesperson stated: “The privacy and safety of the TikTok community, particularly our youngest members, is our highest priority.”
Read more at Reuters here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com