marry 17.01.2025, 09:00 AM
The European non-profit privacy protection organization NOYB (None of Your Business), known for its successful litigation against US companies such as Apple, Google and Meta, has filed a complaint against Chinese technology companies TikTok, Xiaomi, Shein and others for illegal sending of user data from the European Union (EU) to China.
This is NOYB’s first action against Chinese technology companies. The organization, citing the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), has filed six complaints in four EU countries over the transfer of European users’ data to China, seeking fines for GDPR violators that can reach up to 4% of a company’s global revenue.
According to NOYB-z, AliExpress, Shein, TikTok and phone maker Xiaomi admit to sending personal data of Europeans to China, while Temu and WeChat transfer data to undisclosed “third countries”, most likely China.
According to the GDPR, the transfer of data outside the EU is only permitted if the country of destination does not jeopardize data protection. Given that China is an authoritarian surveillance state, “it is crystal clear that China does not offer the same level of data protection as the EU,” said Kleanti Sardelli, a data protection lawyer at NOYB. “The transfer of Europeans’ personal data is patently illegal and must stop immediately.”
NOYB says it is vital to find out what Chinese tech companies are doing with European users’ data. These companies have no choice but to comply with Chinese authorities’ data access requests, as Chinese law dictates.
Chinese companies, especially TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance, are facing similar issues in different countries. TikTok plans to shut down its app for US users starting Sunday when the US government’s ban is set to take effect, although Trump said on Wednesday he may decide to suspend the ban. The European Commission is also investigating TikTok over suspicions that it failed to limit election meddling, particularly in Romania’s presidential election in November.
Photo: Pete Linforth | Pixabay
Source: www.informacija.rs
