TikTok’s leading European regulator opens two data privacy investigations

DUBLIN, Sept. 14 (Reuters) – TikTok’s main data privacy regulator in the European Union has opened two investigations into the Chinese-owned short video platform regarding children’s personal data processing and transfers of personal data to China.

The Irish Data Protection Commission, which is the main EU regulator for many of the world’s largest internet companies due to the location of their regional headquarters, is authorized to impose fines of up to 4% of the worldwide turnover.

TikTok announced tighter privacy controls for teens in August, seeking to respond to criticism that it has failed to protect children from hidden advertising and inappropriate content. Read more

Owned by Chinese company ByteDance, TikTok has grown rapidly around the world, especially among teenagers.

The first of the surveys concerns “the processing of personal data within the framework of the platform settings for users under the age of 18 and age verification measures for those under the age of 13,” said the Data Protection Commission in a press release.

The second investigation will focus on transfers of personal data by TikTok to China and the company’s compliance with European data law in its transfers of personal data to countries outside the bloc, the statement said.

Earlier this month, the Irish data watchdog imposed a record fine of 225 million euros ($ 265.64 million) on Facebook (FB.O) WhatsApp under the 2018 Act on the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Read more

But the watchdog has been criticized by other European regulators because of the speed of its investigations and the severity of its sanctions.

The Irish regulator had 27 international investigations underway at the end of last year, including 14 on Facebook and its affiliates.

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Reporting by Conor Humphries Editing by Chris Reese, Mark Porter and Jane Merriman

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