TikTok Fined €530 Million Over EU Data Violations

TikTok has been fined €530 million ($600 million) by Ireland's Data Protection Commission, the lead EU privacy regulator, for improper transfers of user data from the EU to China and failing to guarantee protections against Chinese government access. The regulator found TikTok did not provide EU users' data the level of protection required under EU law and was not transparent about where user data was stored or processed. TikTok has been ordered to suspend any non-compliant data transfers to China within six months and faces further scrutiny for only recently disclosing that some EU data was stored in China. The company has announced plans to appeal, arguing that recent security measures, including its 'Project Clover' initiative and new European data centers, address the regulator's concerns. This penalty adds to a total of €3.9 billion in fines imposed by the Irish watchdog on big tech under EU privacy law, though most remain unpaid due to ongoing appeals. TikTok maintains that no EU user data has been provided to Chinese authorities and warns the ruling could affect other global businesses.