Short video platform, TikTok, has pledged to fully cooperate with Nigerian authorities as the Nigeria Data Protection Commission investigates the platform over alleged data breaches.
This development comes as the agency last week launched an investigation into TikTok and Truecaller following public complaints and independent findings suggesting possible violations of Nigeria’s Data Protection Act 2023.
In response to an inquiry from The PUNCH, TikTok emphasised its commitment to user privacy and data security.
“Protecting the privacy and security of our community’s data is among our top priorities. We look forward to cooperating with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission,” a TikTok spokesperson said via email.
The probe aims to determine whether the platforms collected, stored, or shared users’ data without proper consent or legal compliance.
The commission has stated that its approach prioritizes remediation over immediate punitive measures, allowing companies to address any violations.
However, regulatory actions may follow based on the investigation’s findings.
Efforts to get a response from Truecaller regarding the investigation were unsuccessful, as the company had not replied to email queries as of the time of filing this report.
While Nigeria’s investigation is ongoing, TikTok has faced similar scrutiny worldwide over its data handling practices.
Although explicit accusations of data breaches are less common, several countries have raised concerns about the platform’s ties to China and the potential for user data to be accessed by the Chinese government.
A former ByteDance employee previously alleged that the Chinese Communist Party accessed TikTok user data for political purposes, fueling concerns about state influence over the app’s operations.
In 2020, India banned TikTok and dozens of other Chinese-owned apps, citing national security and privacy risks. More recently, European regulators have also taken action against the platform.
An Austrian privacy group, noyb, has filed complaints in Austria, Belgium, Greece, Italy, and the Netherlands, accusing TikTok and other Chinese companies of violating data protection regulations by transferring user data to China.
