The European data protection regulator has fined TikTok 530 million € for violating users’ privacy rights and threatened to block the transfer of personal data to China if the platform does not comply with GDPR requirements within six months.
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), the key regulator for most international technology companies in the EU, said TikTok was failing to adequately protect European users’ data. In particular, it said it was concerned about remote access to personal information by employees working in China and risks posed by Chinese cybersecurity laws.
TikTok insists it uses EU standard contractual clauses to protect data and has never transferred information to Chinese authorities. The company also said it would appeal the DPC’s decision, calling it “a precedent with far-reaching implications for global companies in Europe.”
However, the DPC found that some of the data was stored in China until February 2025, a fact that TikTok itself recently acknowledged. This has further undermined the platform’s credibility and could lead to further sanctions.
This is TikTok’s second major fine in the EU – in 2023, the company paid €345 million for processing children’s data in breach of the GDPR. The Irish DPC has been empowered to impose fines of up to 4% of a company’s global turnover since 2018 and has already fined Microsoft, Meta and other large companies.
The EU’s data protection legislation is the strictest in the world and covers the countries of the European Economic Area (including Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). It requires clear guarantees that citizens’ personal information will not end up in countries with questionable state interference practices.
TikTok has come under pressure not only because of reputational damage, but also because of the risk of losing access to one of its largest markets. A fine of half a billion euros is a clear signal to all international platforms: the EU’s digital sovereignty cannot be violated. If TikTok cannot prove full compliance with the GDPR, it will not only be about money but also about the opportunity to operate in Europe.
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