TikTok fined $600 million by EU over China data transfers and privacy violat
TikTok says it has never received or provided EU user data to Chinese authorities, despite rapid growth in Europe. PHOTO: PIXABAY
The European Union has issued a record $600 million fine against TikTok for breaching data privacy laws by transferring user information to China without sufficient safeguards. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) announced the penalty on May 1, 2025, citing violations of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Of the total fine, $551 million was imposed for TikTok’s failure to protect user data transferred to China. The remaining amount was related to the company’s privacy policy, which failed to adequately explain the reasons for the transfers. According to The New York Times, this marks the largest fine ever imposed under GDPR.
The ruling adds to mounting legal pressures TikTok faces globally, including in the United States, where the company is under a legal mandate to divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. The original U.S. deadline of January 19 was extended by President Trump, first to April 5 and again to June 18, 2025.
TikTok has six months to bring its data processing practices into full compliance with EU regulations or risk being barred from transferring European user data to China.
In a statement to The New York Times, TikTok denied any wrongdoing: “We have never received a request for European user data from the Chinese authorities, and have never provided European user data to them.” The company also warned that the ruling could set a “precedent with far-reaching consequences” for global tech firms.