DPC Investigates TikTok Over Transfer of EU User Data to China

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has launched a formal inquiry into TikTok Technology Limited, scrutinizing the company’s practices regarding the transfer and storage of European Economic Area (EEA) users’ personal data to servers in China.

This development stems from discrepancies uncovered in a prior investigation concluded on April 30, 2025, where TikTok asserted that EEA user data were exclusively accessed remotely from China without any physical storage on local servers.

Background on the Inquiry

However, TikTok later disclosed in April 2025 that it had identified an issue in February of the same year, revealing that limited EEA user data had indeed been stored on Chinese servers, contradicting its earlier submissions.

This revelation prompted the DPC to express profound concern over the submission of inaccurate information, highlighting potential breaches of accountability and transparency under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

In a press release accompanying the previous decision, the DPC ...