TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is reportedly facing a major fine of more than €500 million from Irish regulators.
The penalty will be handed down by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC), TikTok’s lead regulator in the European Union.
Sources told Bloomberg that the fine is linked to violations of Europe’s strict privacy laws under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
An investigation found that personal data from European TikTok users was illegally transferred to China and accessed by engineers.
This cross-border data movement is considered a serious breach of the GDPR, which governs how companies must protect users’ information.
The Irish DPC is expected to officially announce the fine before the end of April, according to the Bloomberg report.
If confirmed, the fine would be among the largest ever issued by the DPC, joining cases against Amazon and Meta.
Amazon was fined €746 million in 2021, while Meta was hit with a record €1.2 billion penalty in 2023.
TikTok has the right to appeal the Irish DPC’s decision through the courts if it chooses to challenge the outcome.
This development comes as TikTok’s parent firm is also under pressure in the United States to sell its American operations.
The company faces a possible ban if it fails to find a buyer by the US-set deadline of 5 April.
TikTok and the Irish DPC have yet to comment officially on the fine, though the DPC said it cannot comment at this time.
