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France opens privacy probe into Chinese app TikTok, adding to EU-wide scrutiny
- The country’s watchdog is looking at a range of issues, including how ByteDance Ltd communicates with users and the protection of children
- The questions are part of an investigation into TikTok’s plan to set up a data centre in Ireland
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France’s privacy watchdog opened a probe into TikTok, marking another examination of ByteDance Ltd’s social media app, which is facing broader scrutiny of its privacy policies.
The French authority, CNIL, is looking at a number of issues, including how the company communicates with users and the protection of children, a spokesman said Tuesday.
The questions are part of an investigation into TikTok’s plan to set up a European Union (EU) headquarters for data purposes.
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The EU’s data protection chiefs in June pledged to coordinate potential investigations into the Chinese company, establishing a task force to get a better understanding of “TikTok’s processing and practices across the EU”.
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The EU task force would also likely give the final decision on plans by the company to set up an EU base for data purposes in Ireland. This could mean that future probes would be led by the Irish data authority, which is already the lead privacy regulator for tech giants, including Google, Facebook and Twitter.
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TikTok did not immediately reply to a request for comment. CNIL also said on Tuesday it had closed a separate probe based on a TikTok user’s complaint.
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