TikTok is not new to being involved in issues that concern user data. Lately, the president of the European Commission confirmed that TikTok is under several ongoing investigations. This is in regard to the data EU citizen's data being transferred to China, as well as the targeted advertising for minors. Reports state that the investigations will make sure that TikTok follows General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements.
Statements from European Officials
Brendan Carr, the Federal Communications Commissioner, shared a letter via Twitter. It states that other than the companies in the EU transferring data to third countries, compliance with the GDPR also applies to situations, where personal data is accessed by affiliated companies outside the EU. This is to make sure that the data protection provided by the EU is not undermined by data transfers.
NEW: Concerns about China accessing #TikTok user data continue to mount.
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) August 4, 2022
Members of the European Parliament have now written the European Commission asking it to address whether EU data has also been accessed from China, stating:
“it would be a serious mistake to let it happen” https://t.co/3cD5ZAUAXD pic.twitter.com/imSeOO5VkG
It also notes that independent data authorities and courts will monitor and enforce compliance with companies, regarding EU data protection rules. It has officially announced that TikTok is the object of multiple ongoing investigations, which includes one conducted by the Irish Data Protection Authorities, as stated by Ursula von der Leyen.
A letter was also written by von der Leyen, which was posted by Carr as well. It states that on June 17, BuzzFeed published a report saying that it "seemed to confirm access" to TikTok users in the US. This was based on 80 leaked internal TikTok meetings, which refer to instances of data access by ByteDance, TikTok's parent company.
According to Engadget, The letter asks for clarification about whether the app or its parent company can access European data, or if it has happened before. They expressed that it would be a serious mistake to let it happen, considering the geopolitical repositioning of the European Union as well as its allies of the West.
Other TikTok Privacy Concerns
In late October, TikTok has also been subjected to controversy, as Forbes accused it of monitoring the location of specific American citizens. According to the allegations, the Internal Audit and Risk Control department of ByteDance is responsible for it, and they report directly to the company CEO. TikTok denied these allegations, as mentioned in CNBC.
TikTok communications called Forbes out, saying that they lack rigor and journalistic integrity. They added that Forbes did not disclose TikTok's statement wherein they disproved the allegations. TikTok clarified that they cannot collect specific data, the way Forbes made it look. Forbes, however, did not retract their claims, saying that they stand by its reporting.
US Senator Mark Warner, also raised concerns about the app, saying that it was a surveillance tool for China. He stated that it was a threat, since the data that children are receiving and uploading is being stored somewhere in Beijing. This is followed by legislation that aims to ban the app in the US.
Tim Cotton, an Arkansaw Republican, also said that it wasn't just the content uploaded. The app may also access all the data on the user's phone, including other apps, personal information, and even facial imagery, as mentioned in Fortune.
