The "None of your business" group goes after Xiaomi and other Chinese companies

The advocacy group Noyb 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 established by lawyer and privacy advocate Max Schrems. The group focuses on ensuring compliance with GDPR, a robust legal framework designed to safeguard user data across Europe. Noyb has actively challenged some of the world's largest tech firms, including Google and Meta, filing numerous complaints against them for alleged violations of privacy laws.

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

According to Noyb, firms including Alibaba's AliExpress, Shein, TikTok, and Xiaomi openly acknowledge transferring personal data from European users to China in transparency reports and other documents, a Reuters report reads. Meanwhile, Temu and Tencent’s WeChat allegedly transfer data to unspecified "third countries", presumed to be China.

China's foreign ministry responded to these allegations by stating that the government does not and will not require companies or individuals to collect or share data from foreign countries in violation of local laws. Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun emphasized during a briefing that China prioritizes and protects data privacy and security in accordance with legal standards.

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

Under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), data transfers outside the EU are only permissible if the recipient country meets the EU's data protection standards. Noyb's data protection lawyer, Kleanthi Sardeli, argued that China does not provide protections equivalent to those in the EU. She asserted that these data transfers are unlawful and must be stopped immediately.

Meanwhile, the European Commission has intensified its investigation into Elon Musk's social media platform, X, over potential breaches of EU content moderation rules. The inquiry, launched in December 2023, includes a request for internal documents by February 15 and a retention order for records related to X's recommendation algorithms through 2025.

Jeez, the Old Continent is in full swing these past few months!