TikTok fined €530 million for transferring EU user data to China

By: fxleaders|2025/05/02 21:45:02

Ireland’s privacy watchdog fined TikTok 530 million euros for sending user data to China. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), which oversees TikTok’s privacy in the EU, declared that the company had violated the GDPR data protection law by sending user data from Europeans to China. The regulator stated that if TikTok does not comply with its order to bring its data processing into compliance within six months, it will suspend the company’s transfers to China. In a statement released Friday, Graham Doyle, deputy commissioner at the DPC, said, “ TikTok’s data transfers to China violated the GDPR because TikTok failed to verify, guarantee, and demonstrate that the personal data of EEA users, remotely accessed by staff in China, was afforded a level of protection essentially equivalent to that guaranteed within the EU.” “TikTok failed to conduct the required assessments, which resulted in TikTok failing to address the possibility of Chinese authorities gaining access to EEA personal data under Chinese anti-terrorism, counter-espionage, and other laws that TikTok identified as materially deviating from EU standards, ” he continued. The DPC also discovered that TikTok had misled its investigation when it stated that it had not kept European users’ data on Chinese servers. Contrary to its earlier claims, TikTok told the regulator this month that it had found a problem in February where a small amount of European user data was kept on servers located in China. In consultation with its fellow EU data protection authorities, the DPC evaluated whether additional regulatory action is necessary, stating that it takes the matter “ very seriously.”. TikTok is appealing against the ruling because it disagrees with the Irish regulator. TikTok’s head of public policy and government relations for Europe, Christine Grahn, claimed in a blog post on Friday that the decision did not consider Project Clover, a 12-billion-euro data security project designed to safeguard European users’ data. According to Grahn, “it does not reflect the safeguards currently in place and instead focuses on a select period from years ago, before Clover’s 2023 implementation.”. She continued, “The DPC itself noted in its report what TikTok has repeatedly stated: it has never been asked for European user data by the Chinese authorities and has never given them European user data.”.

On March 4, 2026, DDC Enterprise Limited (NYSE American: DDC) today announced preliminary, unaudited full-year financial performance for the year ended December 31, 2025. The company expects to achieve record revenue and record positive adjusted EBITDA, primarily driven by continued growth in its core consumer food business and overall margin improvement. The final audited financial report is expected to be released in mid-April 2026.

2025 Full-Year Financial Highlights

Revenue: Expected to be between $39 million and $41 million, reaching a new company high.

Organic Growth: Excluding the impact of the company's strategic contraction of its U.S. operations, core revenue is expected to grow 11% to 17% year over year.

Gross Profit Margin: Expected to be between 28% and 30%, reflecting continued operational efficiency improvements.

Adjusted EBITDA: The company expects to achieve a positive full-year result in 2025, a significant improvement from a $3.5 million loss in 2024, mainly due to rigorous cost controls and a higher-margin sales mix.

Core Consumer Food Business Performance

In 2025, DDC's core consumer food business maintained strong operational performance.

The company also disclosed Core Consumer Food Business Adjusted EBITDA, a metric that further excludes costs related to its Bitcoin reserve strategy and non-cash fair value adjustments related to its Bitcoin holdings from adjusted EBITDA to more accurately reflect the core business performance.

In 2025, Core Consumer Food Business Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between $5.5 million and $6 million.

Bitcoin Reserve Update

In the first half of 2025, DDC initiated a long-term Bitcoin accumulation strategy, holding Bitcoin as its primary reserve asset.

As of December 31, 2025: The company holds 1,183 BTC.

As of February 28, 2026: Holdings increased to 2,118 BTC

Today's additional purchase of 65 BTC brings the company's total holdings to 2,183 BTC

DDC Founder, Chairman, and CEO Norma Chu stated, "We are proud to have closed 2025 with record revenue and positive adjusted EBITDA, demonstrating the steady growth of the company's consumer food business and the ongoing improvement in profitability. We are building a disciplined, growth-oriented food platform and strategically allocating capital to Bitcoin assets with a long-term view, aligning with our core beliefs. We believe that this dual-track model of 'Steady Consumer Business + Strategic Bitcoin Reserve' will help DDC create lasting long-term value for shareholders."

Adjusted EBITDA Definition
For the full year 2025, the company defines "Adjusted EBITDA" (a non-GAAP financial measure) as: Net income / (loss) excluding the following items:· Interest expense· Taxes· Foreign exchange gains/losses· Long-lived asset impairment· Depreciation and amortization· Non-cash fair value changes related to financial instruments (including Bitcoin holdings)· Stock-based compensation

About DDC Enterprise Limited

DDC Enterprise Limited (NYSE: DDC) is actively implementing its corporate Bitcoin Treasury strategy while continuing to strengthen its position as a leading global Asian food platform.

The company has established Bitcoin as a core reserve asset and is executing a prudent, long-oriented accumulation strategy. While expanding its portfolio of food brands, DDC is gradually becoming one of the public company pioneers in integrating Bitcoin into its corporate financial architecture.

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DDC Enterprise Limited Announces 2025 Unaudited Preliminary Financial Performance: Record Revenue Achieved, Bitcoin Treasury Grows to 2183 Coins