Brussels, January 17, 2025 —European privacy group noyb accuses TikTok, AliExpress, and others of unlawful data transfers to China. Critics warn of surveillance risks and demand action.
In a shocking move, European privacy watchdog None of Your Business (noyb) has filed GDPR complaints against TikTok, AliExpress, and other major platforms for allegedly transferring user data to China unlawfully. The group claims this practice exposes European users to potential surveillance by Chinese authorities, sparking outrage among privacy advocates.
Kleanthi Sardeli, a data protection lawyer at noyb said:
Given China’s lack of independent data protection, transferring EU citizens’ personal data is blatantly unlawful and must stop immediately.
The complaints target companies including SHEIN, WeChat, and Xiaomi, accusing them of failing to respond to GDPR data access requests. Noyb insists that the companies’ privacy policies confirm data transfers to China, despite the lack of adequate safeguards. Sardeli warned:
China’s authoritarian surveillance infrastructure leaves no room for privacy protections equivalent to the EU.
This legal action comes as ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, faces increasing scrutiny worldwide, including an impending U.S. ban on January 19, 2025. Meanwhile, companies like Temu and WeChat are also under fire for allegedly vague policies about data handling.
Experts are alarmed by the broader implications. A cybersecurity analyst said:
These cases highlight the risks of data falling into the wrong hands and the urgent need for stricter international data transfer standards.
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