Overview

• The probe was triggered after TikTok disclosed in June that a technical error stored some European user data on Chinese servers before the files were deleted.
• TikTok attributes the incident to proactive monitoring of a “technical problem” and asserts it never received or provided EU data to Chinese authorities.
• In early May, the DPC fined TikTok €530 million for failing to secure EU data against remote access from China and questioned the accuracy of TikTok’s disclosures during that investigation.
• GDPR restricts transfers of personal data to countries without an EU adequacy decision unless firms prove equivalent safeguards, which TikTok has not established for China.
• The outcome will determine whether TikTok’s measures satisfy EU data sovereignty requirements and could heighten scrutiny of Chinese-owned social media platforms.