TikTok fined $800 million for illegally sending EU user data to China

TikTok, a short video-sharing social networking site, is expected to be fined more than 500 million euros (about 790 million yen) by the Irish Data Protection Commission for illegally sending EU user data to China, business newspaper Bloomberg reported.

TikTok Faces Fine Over €500 Million for EU Data Sent to China - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-03/tiktok-faces-fine-over-500-million-for-eu-data-sent-to-china

TikTok reportedly faces a €500 million fine for sending private user data to China
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/tiktok-reportedly-faces-a-€500-million-fine-for-sending-private-user-data-to-china-162214079.html

Ireland to target TikTok with €500m fine for sending users' data to China
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/04/03/ireland-target-tiktok-500m-fine-sending-user-data-china/

TikTok, operated by Chinese technology company ByteDance, is hugely popular among young people around the world, but it has been criticized for ' harming children's mental health ' and ' insufficient protection measures for minors ,' and it has also been criticized for transmitting user data to China.

In February 2021, the European Consumer Protection Agency (BEUC), an EU consumer protection organization, filed a complaint against TikTok, alleging that the company was 'violating consumer rights with misleading data collection policies and exposing children to hidden advertising and inappropriate content.'

In response to these developments, the Irish Data Protection Commission, where ByteDance's European operations are based, launched an investigation into TikTok for violating the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Helen Dixon, who served as a member of the Irish Data Protection Commission at the time, commented , 'TikTok says that EU data is transferred to the US and not to China. However, we understand that Chinese maintenance engineers and AI engineers may be accessing the data.'

Then, in November 2022, TikTok updated its privacy policy for European users, stating, 'When necessary to carry out business operations, we provide certain employees of our corporate group in Brazil, Canada, China, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and the United States with remote access to TikTok Europe user data in a manner permitted by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), subject to a series of robust security controls and authorization protocols,' TikTok acknowledged that Chinese staff had access to EU user data.

TikTok admits that Chinese staff can view user data in European privacy policy update - GIGAZINE

Then on April 3, 2025, Bloomberg reported that 'the Irish Data Protection Commission will impose a privacy fine of more than 500 million euros on TikTok for illegally sending EU user data to China.'

According to anonymous sources who spoke to Bloomberg, a four-year investigation into TikTok's data processing practices revealed that the company violated the GDPR when sending user data to China. The Irish Data Protection Commission is expected to impose a fine by the end of April, but the exact amount of the fine and the timing of the decision are subject to change.

TikTok had not responded to Bloomberg's request for comment at time of writing, and the Irish Data Protection Commission declined to comment. TikTok could appeal the decision in Irish courts.

TikTok is currently facing a decision to either shut down its service in the US or sell its business, and it has been reported that Oracle, Microsoft , Amazon and others have also expressed interest in acquiring the company ahead of the April 5th deadline.

Amazon also claims to have bought TikTok, but some say it's not serious - GIGAZINE