Ireland launches new investigation into TikTok data transfer to China
10 July 2025 20:42
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has announced the launch of a new investigation into the video platform TikTok, RTE reports, "Komersant Ukrainian". The regulator will check whether the company complies with the provisions of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the context of transferring personal data of European users to China.
The investigation is a continuation of the previous proceedings completed on April 30, 2025, in which TikTok assured that the data of European users is not stored in China, but is transferred only through remote access.
However, in February 2025, the company revealed that a limited amount of personal data was still stored on Chinese servers, which it informed the DPC in April. This fact contradicted TikTok’s previous testimony, so the regulator decided to open a separate proceeding.
Since there is no bilateral agreement between China and the EU on the exchange of personal data – unlike similar agreements with the US or the UK – Chinese companies are required to ensure a level of data protection equivalent to that of the EU.
In a previous investigation, TikTok has already been fined €530 million for data privacy violations, including those involving underage users. The company was also given six months to remedy the violations and stop transferring data to China if it did not comply with the GDPR.
