Data from European TikTokkers to data center in Dublin

Film app TikTok has opened a data center in the Irish capital, Dublin. European users’ data must be stored there, for the service to comply with European privacy rules. The data was previously stored in Singapore and the United States.

TikTok is also building data centers in Norway and elsewhere in Ireland. Many major technology companies have their European headquarters in Ireland. It is therefore under the oversight of the Irish Open Privacy Watch. In addition, the Irish government often makes financially attractive deals to boost employment in the country.

The Chinese app TikTok is under fire in Europe and the United States. More and more governments and parliaments are banning TikTok on their employees’ work phones and other work devices for fear of data theft and espionage. And in the new data center, “only authorized employees have access to limited types of data,” TikTok wrote on Tuesday. British cybersecurity firm NCC Group, the parent company of Dutch Fox-IT, was called in to monitor the data flow.

TikTok representatives will speak to the House Digital Affairs Committee on Wednesday. Among those in attendance is Nikki Su, who handles harmful content for TikTok.