TikTok appears to be seeking to reduce tensions with the West and allay concerns of the United States and European countries about privacy, as the Chinese company announced the establishment of a data storage center in Ireland to protect privacy.
TikTok confirmed that the process of migrating European user data to its hub in Dublin has already begun, and the process will be overseen by British cybersecurity firm NCC Group.
TikTok confirms that this process will be strengthened by a second place in Ireland and a third in Norway before the end of next year, especially since TikTok's association with China has made it questionable, as critics accuse it of giving Chinese authorities access to user data around the world.
TikTok, owned by Chinese company Bytedance, has repeatedly denied ties to Beijing while defending itself, asserting that all user data is securely stored in Singapore and the United States. The US state of Montana passed a law banning the application since the beginning of this year.
Montana is expected to follow suit, and the U.S., Canadian, British and Australian governments, as well as the European Commission, have banned their officials from downloading TikTok on their work phones.