TikTok to appeal €530m GDPR fine over data transfers to China

TikTok has issued a statement following last week's announcement that the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined the short video social media company €530 million over the illegal transfer of personal data to China.

The statement by Christine Grahn, Head of Public Policy & Government Relations at TikTok, confirms that the company disagrees with the decision and plans to launch an appeal. Grahn argues that the decision fails to fully consider its €12 billion Project Clover initiative that includes some of the most stringent data protection measures. TikTok claims the DPC has been "singled out" for its use of standard contractual clauses (SCCs), despite the legal mechanism being employed by thousands of companies around the world. 

Warning about far-reaching implications, Grahn said: "This ruling risks setting a precedent with far-reaching consequences for companies and entire industries across Europe that operate on a global scale. It delivers a blow to the European Union's competitiveness."

"At a time when European businesses and economies need innovation, growth and jobs, we believe the EU should welcome and support solutions like Project Clover, as a way to facilitate secure data flows between the EU and non-adequate countries, while guaranteeing the most robust protections for European data security and privacy."