The social network TikTok, popular with young people, has admitted to using the data of its European users, but “strictly for the needs of a department within the company.”
The data is reportedly only accessible to a limited number of employees in different countries, including China, stated Elaine Fox, Privacy Manager for TikTok in Europe.
There have been previous and ongoing concerns over the possibility of surveillance by the Chinese government of the application. Furthermore, the Irish Data Protection Authority has recently opened an investigation into the transfer of personal data of European users to China.
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California has also passed a law prohibiting platforms from collecting or sharing non-essential personal information. Tik Tok, meanwhile, has stated that its data collection is limited to Europe – the European Economic Area plus the UK and Switzerland.
The aim is to maintain a “pleasant and safe” user experience, the company says. Its parent company, ByteDance, also denied being under the control of the Chinese government. TikTok is the fastest growing social network in the world. The app has been downloaded nearly 4 billion times.
