EU regulator opens privacy probes into Tik Tok

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TikTok faces two new investigations in the EU.

The probes relate to the processing of children's personal data and transfers of personal data to China.

Ireland's Data Protection Commission is allowed to impose fines of up to 4% of global revenue.

It's TikTok's main regulator in the EU, due to the location of the social network's HQ for the region.

Back in August, TikTok announced stricter privacy controls for teenagers, seeking to address criticism that it has failed to protect children from hidden advertising and inappropriate content.

Owned by China's ByteDance, the platform has grown rapidly around the world, particularly among teenagers.

A spokesperson for TikTok said it had implemented extensive policies and controls to safeguard user data and relies on approved methods for data being transferred from Europe.

Ireland's data watchdog earlier this month levied a record fine of about $265 million on WhatsApp.

But the watchdog has faced criticism from other European regulators over the speed of its inquiries, and the severity of its sanctions.

At the end of last year the Irish regulator had 14 probes under way into Facebook alone.