Cybersecurity Policy Report, TikTok Users Get Privacy Warning From Dutch Authorities, (Dec 17, 2025)

By R. Jason Howard, J.D.

The Dutch data protection authority, Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP), yesterday warned TikTok users that the popular site was continuing to send user data to China in violation of a joint decision by European data protection authorities (DPAs) that determined that the transfers were unlawful.

The AP urged users and organizations to consider whether to continue their use of TikTok and other services that transfer personal data to countries outside the European Union.

TikTok has challenged the decision of EU regulators and has continued to transfer the data after displaying a warning to users that states that TikTok continues to transfer personal data of European users to countries outside the EU, including China, the AP noted in a news release.

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) ruled in May, on behalf of other EU DPAs, that TikTok was violating the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and should be fined 530 million euros ($600 million) (CPR, May 2). An Irish court has temporarily suspended the ruling pending TikTok’s court challenge.

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