The Chinese government has firmly denied allegations that it requires companies to illegally collect and store users’ personal information(data), following an investigation by an Irish regulator into Chinese social media giant TikTok.
“The Chinese government attaches great importance to and protects data privacy and security in accordance with the law,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said. Beijing “has never and will never require companies or individuals to illegally collect or store data,” Mao added.
This statement comes as TikTok, a division of Chinese tech giant ByteDance, faces scrutiny from Western governments over concerns that personal data could be used for espionage or propaganda purposes.
However, TikTok has insisted that it has never received any requests from Chinese authorities for European users’ data. The platform was fined €530 million ($620 million) in May by the Data Protection Commission over sending personal data to China, although TikTok claimed this data was only accessed remotely.
Mao Ning emphasized the importance of fair competition and a non-discriminatory business environment, stating, “We hope that the European side will respect the market economy and fair competition, and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for companies from all countries.” This sentiment was echoed in response to concerns over data privacy and security, with China maintaining that it operates within the bounds of international laws and rejects any claims of illegal data practices.
The investigation into TikTok’s data handling practices is part of a broader effort by European regulators to ensure compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The fine imposed on TikTok is one of the largest GDPR penalties to date, highlighting the growing importance of data protection and privacy in the digital age. With 1.5 billion users worldwide, TikTok’s data handling practices have significant implications for global data security and privacy.