The European Union has imposed a record fine of 530 million euros on the popular short-form video platform TikTok. The reason was serious concerns about the way the company protects users’ personal data, in particular — possible access to it by China. The corresponding decision was made by the Irish Data Protection Commissioner, the key regulator in the field of privacy in the EU.

The investigation found that TikTok, owned by Chinese technology giant ByteDance, did not demonstrate sufficient guarantees to protect the information of users from the European Union. In particular, it turned out that some personal data could be remotely accessed by employees located in China. This is particularly worrying in the context of Chinese legislation, which provides for mandatory cooperation with the government in the field of cybersecurity and espionage.

The Irish regulator’s statement said that TikTok had failed to convincingly prove that it provides an adequate level of protection for personal data in accordance with strict EU standards. In particular, the company was given six months to bring its data processing into line with European law or face a ban on transferring user information to China.

In response, TikTok said it strongly disagreed with the ruling and planned to appeal. The company insists that data transfers are made exclusively through mechanisms provided for by European law, including standard contractual clauses that aim to strictly limit and control remote access to personal information.

TikTok also stressed that the regulator’s decision did not take into account key security measures introduced in 2023. These innovations include the creation of dedicated data processing centers in Europe and the United States, as well as the introduction of independent oversight of any attempts to remotely access user information from EU countries.

The fine is one of the highest-profile sanctions under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the history of the European Union. The TikTok case demonstrates Brussels' tough stance on protecting citizens' privacy and signals further escalation between the West and China over digital security.