The Chinese company TikTok, just like US social media companies, collects behavioral and traffic data from its users, which they use to develop their products and services. Chinese law is clear, Chinese companies must hand over their data to the state, in this case to the Chinese Communist authoritarian party. The platform also supports disinformation campaigns by Russia and European extremist parties, as seen in the Romanian elections. Similarly, in the US, the current administration has watered down key parts of the data transfer agreement (Civil Liberties Protection Officer, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Data Protection Review Court) which the EU signed during the Biden era, and the transfer of European data to the US is again becoming a threat for Europeans.
“There is at least for now a data transfer agreement between Europe and the United States, which should allow Europeans to track the data collected about them. The entire current agreement was based on the construction of this legal protection mechanism which the Trump administration is watering down. The actions of the current US administration do not support the rule of law, and Europeans can no longer be lulled into believing that their data is used by trusted partners for the responsible development of technology,” Salla says.
Significant amounts of behavioral and traffic data are needed for the development of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence. Large American and Chinese companies collect this data from Europe and transfer it to their home countries for technological development. So the question is not just about the protection of personal data, where Europe has strict standards – it’s also about metadata. Transfering data requires a valid data transfer agreement with the United States or the companies can use separate standard contractual clauses. Currently, European data is being leaked to international technology giants without Europe benefiting from this other than by using their services and platforms.
“If we seriously want to develop European tech giants, Europe needs money, talent, a real single market and access to large amounts of behavioural and traffic data. It is time for us to understand the value of data as the raw material of the digital economy and start treating it as a strategic asset and not only a byproduct of online activity. It is a valuable export product, similar to other commodities such as energy or rare earths. Trump’s tariff policy shows that Europe needs to play hard ball and set clear conditions and a fair price for handing over European data rather than letting it flow outside of Europe, without meaningful return. Europe needs to act not just as a regulator but as a global player here” Salla says.
For more information:
Member of the European Parliament, Doctor of Social Sciences
aura.salla@europarl.europa.eu
0032 2 28 45736 (Brussels)
0033 3 88 1 75736 (Strasbourg)
Policy Advisor
torlach.grant@europarl.europa.eu
