TikTok unveiled new measures to protect the data of European users in an attempt to prevent further bans on government employees who use the video-sharing app on their work phones, the Associated Press reported.
The company's goal is to create a "secure enclave for European TikTok user data," Vice President of European Government Relations and Public Policy Theo Bertram said on his blog.
TikTok is under pressure in Europe, where it has 150 million users, in the United States and other countries that fear the app could pose a risk to cybersecurity and data privacy.
Western officials worry that the Chinese government could use ByteDance's parent company to push pro-Beijing narratives and disinformation.
The European Commission, European Parliament and European Council ordered staff to delete the TikTok app from devices used for official business, following actions by the US state and federal governments, as well as the defense ministries of Denmark and Canada.
That's why Bertram today revealed more details about plans to localize data storage with servers located in Europe, where there are strict rules on protecting user data.
The new data centers will be managed by independent service providers, who have not been identified, reports say N1.
The tactic is similar to TikTok's approach in 2020, when it teamed up with database software company Oracle to avoid a ban from then-President Donald Trump's administration.
TikTok will set up a second data center in Dublin and a third in Norway's Hamar region, Bertram said.
In the US, TikTok directs all data to servers controlled by Oracle, although it keeps backups on its own servers in the US and Singapore.
The company said it expects to delete US user data from its own servers, but did not specify when.
The new measures include "security gates" to add an extra layer of control, determining whether company employees can access data about European TikTok users and whether the data can be transferred outside of Europe.
A European security company will be appointed to audit the process, Bertram said.
To improve privacy, the company will work with third parties, which it has not identified, to use technology that will make it harder to identify people from personal data.
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