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(Pocket-lint) – The European Commission has confirmed that several investigations are underway into the way TikTok and its Chinese parent company handle user data.

Chinese group ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok has long been a vexed issue, with reports suggesting the Chinese already had access to US citizens’ data. This has prompted some Europeans to wonder if the same could happen to their data, and it has now been confirmed that investigations are underway.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed in a letter to members of the European Parliament that multiple investigations are already underway in the Netherlands and Ireland.

NEW: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirms data transfer #TikTok Subject to an investigation and several ongoing proceedings.

This follows concerns raised by members of the European Parliament about access to data from China https://t.co/aWlVl6hnXJ pic.twitter.com/dhOCojKKOW-

Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) November 22, 2022

“TikTok’s data practices are the subject of a number of ongoing proceedings, including those relating to international data transfers,” the president said in a letter to MEPs. “This includes the Irish DPA’s investigation into TikTok’s compliance with a number of GDPR requirements in relation to data transfers to China, data processing of minors and disputes in the Dutch courts (particularly in relation to targeted advertising related to minors and data transfers).
to China)”.

The Chinese government’s ability to access data from international citizens is one of the reasons former President Donald Trump wanted to ban TikTok at one point, which never materialized.

By Oliver Haslam.