TikTok is in more regulatory hot water. Only a couple of months after it slapped TikTok with a hefty fine over data transfers to China, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) is opening a fresh investigation into the platform.

During the previous probe, TikTok claimed that European Economic Area (EEA) user data was stored on servers outside China. It said that TikTok staff in China accessed such data remotely.

The DPC concluded the investigation on April 30 and fined TikTok €530 million (Sh74.2 billion). But that investigation and subsequent penalty didn't take into consideration any storage of EEA users data stored on server in China.

However, earlier in April, TikTok informed the DPC it discovered in February that "limited EEA user data" had been stored on servers in China after all, though it claimed that it had deleted the information.

This revelation, which the DPC said "is contrary to TikTok’s evidence to the previous inquiry," prompted the latest investigation. The DPC is seeking to determine whether TikTok has breached the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation.

TikTok has over 1.5 billion users worldwide and a growing presence across the EU.

It has launched several initiatives intended to bolster regulatory confidence, including “Project Clover,” which aims to localise data storage within the European Union. Data centres in Ireland and Norway are under development as part of that plan.

Nonetheless, concerns persist among lawmakers and regulators about the platform’s connections to Chinese authorities. Under China’s National Intelligence Law, companies are obliged to cooperate with state intelligence services if requested, leading to fears that user data could be accessed by the Chinese government.