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Ireland Opens New Investigation Into TikTok Over Data Storage in China

By  |  July 10, 2025

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) has launched a fresh inquiry into TikTok, focusing on the recent disclosure that a portion of European user data had been temporarily stored on servers in China. This new investigation intensifies the scrutiny facing the Chinese-owned social media platform in Europe, where data privacy regulations are among the strictest in the world.

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    The move comes after TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based tech firm ByteDance, revealed in April that a limited volume of European user data had been stored in China—contradicting earlier assurances. According to Reuters, the company had previously informed the Irish regulator during a multi-year investigation that no such data was stored there. However, it admitted earlier this year that it had uncovered the issue two months prior and subsequently deleted the data involved.

    Read more: TikTok to Launch Standalone US App in Effort to Satisfy Government Demands

    Ireland’s DPC, which serves as TikTok’s lead EU regulator due to the platform’s European headquarters being based in the country, announced that this new inquiry will concentrate specifically on the storage and processing of EU user data in China. This issue had not been addressed in the commission’s earlier probe.

    In May, TikTok was handed a substantial €530 million ($620 million) fine by the Irish regulator over concerns surrounding its handling of personal information of European users, including access by employees located in China. Per Reuters, the company is currently appealing that decision, warning that the ruling could set a wide-reaching precedent affecting not only tech firms but a broad range of global industries operating across Europe.

    Source: Reuters