Tik Tok really wants to play nice with European regulators. Part of this strategy is to invest €12 billion in the construction of its previously announced data center in Norway.
In recent years, the short-form social video platform has been trying to dispel the notion that it is solely tied to its parent company, ByteDance, in China. Unfortunately, these efforts faced challenges when it was revealed last year that employees based in China could access user data from Europe and the U.S.
Nevertheless, TikTok has undertaken a series of pledges aimed at addressing concerns regarding its data collection practices, particularly in response to Europe’s Digital Services Act (DSA). These commitments are consolidated within an initiative named Project Clover, which has the primary objectives the establishment of local data centers in Europe and the implementation of enhanced data access and control procedures.
Over the next ten years, the company’s committed €12 billion investment extends beyond the establishment of three data centers. It also encompasses sustained collaboration with a third-party security firm named NCC Group. The firm is tasked with conducting audits on TikTok’s data controls and practices to ensure their effectiveness.
In September, TikTok initiated the transfer of European user data to its inaugural data center in Ireland. The company anticipates completing this process by the end of 2024. Additionally, TikTok unveiled intentions for a second data center in Ireland and a third one in the Hamar region of Norway, emphasizing the commitment to operate entirely on renewable energy.
TikTok’s said that it has officially acquired the first of three buildings at the designated site. It is set to start the installation of servers with the aim of initiating the migration of European users’ data starting next summer. The subsequent two buildings are scheduled to follow shortly thereafter.
