TikTok Plans 2 More European Data Centers Amid Privacy Fears

LONDON, England — TikTok announced plans for two more European data centers on Friday, as the popular Chinese-owned video-sharing app seeks to allay growing concerns about data privacy for its Western users.

European and American authorities have chastised TikTok for allegedly collecting large amounts of user data and sending it to China.

In a blog post, the company’s general manager for European operations, Rich Waterworth, said that the company and a third-party provider are “close to finalizing a plan” for a second data center in Ireland. It announced the opening of its first center there last year.

TikTok is also in talks to open a third European data center, though a location has yet to be specified.

“In terms of local data storage, we’re looking to expand our European data storage capacity in line with the growth of our community,” Waterworth said.

Tiktok Is One Of The Most Popular Apps On The Market

Data for European TikTok users will be migrated to the new centers beginning this year, according to Waterworth.

TikTok is extremely popular among young people, but its Chinese ownership has raised concerns that Beijing may use it to collect data on Western users or to spread pro-China narratives and misinformation. ByteDance, a Chinese company that relocated its headquarters to Singapore in 2020, owns TikTok.

Last month, a top European Union official warned CEO Shou Zi Chew that the company would have to comply with the EU’s sweeping new digital rules.

The Digital Services Act requires online platforms and tech companies with 45 million or more users to take extra steps to remove illegal content and disinformation or face billions in fines.

TikTok Has 125 Million Users A Day

TikTok announced on Friday that it had 125 million monthly active users in the EU, putting it above the threshold for extra scrutiny under the new rules that will go into effect later this year.

TikTok has 150 million users, including those from non-EU countries such as the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

According to monthly user numbers released in time for a Friday deadline, Google, Twitter, Apple, Facebook, and Instagram will also face increased EU scrutiny.

According to parent company Meta, Facebook has 255 million monthly active users, while Instagram has 250 million. Twitter claims 100.9 million users, including both registered and non-registered users.

Apple stated that its iOS App Store had more than 45 million users but did not provide a specific figure. Google Search has 332 million registered users, while YouTube has 401.7 million registered users.

SOURCE – (AP)