It is now official. In a post on its website, TikTok, which is owned by Chinese group ByteDance, admitted for the first time that the data of its European users could be scrutinized. “as per service needs”, by workers in China. This privacy policy change applies to the United Kingdom, member states of the European Economic Area (including France) and Switzerland.
Chinese employees are not the only ones who can access the data of European users. “Some of our group employees located in Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and the United States may also”explains Elaine Fox, director of privacy protection of the Chinese social network in Europe.
“ Our efforts are aimed at limiting the number of employees with access to European user data and minimizing the flow of data outside the region.”, defends Elaine Fox. He highlights a in his publication “demonstrated need” for these employees “doing their job” and make the platform experience “nice and safe” justifying consultation of user data by group employees. The goal is to ensure the safety of the platform while improving the performance of the social network’s recommendation algorithms. Checks can also be performed remotely to detect fraudulent accounts.
Social network verified
The announcement reignites long-standing concerns, particularly in the United States, about data transfers to China. Last July, ByteDance already mentioned data processing in a letter to US senators “sensitive” by workers abroad. At the time, the platform clarified that none of this information was shared with the Chinese government, without going into further details. Recently, one of the commissioners of the American telecommunications regulator considered that the Chinese application poses a threat to national security.
Indeed, like any social network, Byte Dance is subject to the legal restrictions of the country in which it is headquartered. However, authorities in China can demand access to data collected by companies, including TikTok. Westerners therefore fear that this data will be recovered by Beijing, which could thus increase its surveillance. It’s a particularly worrying aspect because the social network has more than a billion users worldwide, the majority of whom are between the ages of 18 and 24.
“Methods Recognized by GDPR”
Facing a barrage of criticism, Elaine Fox noted that this data consultation would: undergo a series of robust security checks and approval protocols, and use recognized methods GDPR: (General Data Protection Regulation). Since 2018, this agreement regulates the management of personal data of Internet users in the European Union. It requires platforms operating in Europe to store their users’ data on the continent. In this context, the rise of TikTok has not escaped the eyes of the European authorities.
Ireland’s Cnil opened two investigations in September 2021 into TikTok’s practices. The first seeks to verify how the platform collects information from underage users, while the second “will focus on TikTok’s transfer of personal data to China“. ByteDance faces a fine of up to 4% of its global turnover of $58 billion in 2021 if it fails to comply with the GDPR.
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.