Advocacy group Noyb has filed a privacy complaint against Xiaomi, TikTok, Shein and three other Chinese companies, accusing them of illegally transferring data from EU users to China.

Noyb, short for “None of Your Business,” is an Austrian digital rights organization founded by lawyer and privacy advocate Max Schrems. The group focuses on ensuring compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a robust legal framework designed to protect user data across Europe. Noib has actively challenged some of the world’s largest technology companies, including Google and Meta, filing numerous complaints against them for alleged violations of privacy laws.

The Vienna-based advocacy group Noyb (None of Your Business) has filed its first complaints targeting Chinese companies. The organization filed six complaints across Greece, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Austria, seeking to stop data transfers to China and urging fines of up to 4% of the companies’ global revenue.

According to Noib, companies including Alibaba’s AliExpress, Shein, TikTok and Xiaomi have publicly acknowledged transfers of personal data from European users to China in transparency reports and other documents, Reads the Reuters report. Meanwhile, Temu and Tencent’s WeChat app is allegedly transferring data to unspecified “third countries”, presumably China.

China’s Foreign Ministry responded to the allegations by saying that the government does not and will not require companies or individuals to collect or share data from foreign countries in violation of domestic laws. Ministry spokesman Guo Jiaqun stressed during a press conference that China prioritizes and protects data privacy and security in accordance with legal standards.

Xiaomi commented on the issue, saying that it is reviewing the claims and will fully cooperate with the authorities if contacted regarding the complaint.

Under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), data transfers outside the EU are only permitted if the receiving country meets EU data protection standards. Noib data protection lawyer Klianthi Sardelli said China does not provide protection similar to those in the European Union. She stressed that these data transfers are illegal and must be stopped immediately.

Meanwhile, the European Commission has intensified its investigation into Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, over possible violations of EU content moderation rules. The investigation, which was launched in December 2023, includes a request for internal documents by February 15 and an order to retain records related to X’s recommendation algorithms until 2025.

Oh my goodness, the Old Continent has been going strong for the past few months!