Austrian advocacy group Noyb has filed a privacy complaint on Thursday against TikTok, Shein, Xiaomi, and three additional Chinese companies, alleging that these firms have unlawfully transmitted user data from the European Union to China.

Noyb, which has previously targeted American corporations like Apple, Alphabet, and Meta, resulting in multiple investigations and substantial fines, is now focusing on Chinese entities for the first time.

Based in Vienna, Noyb (None Of Your Business) has lodged six complaints across Greece, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Austria, seeking to halt data transfers to China and pursuing fines that could amount to 4% of a company's global revenue.

According to Noyb, companies including Alibaba's AliExpress, Shein, TikTok, and Xiaomi have acknowledged the transfer of European personal data to China, as indicated by their transparency reports and other documentation. Additionally, retailer Temu and Tencent's WeChat app are reported to send data to unspecified "third countries," which are likely to be China.

A spokesperson for Xiaomi stated that the company is currently reviewing the allegations and is prepared to fully cooperate with authorities should they reach out regarding this complaint. Other companies have not yet provided comments on the matter.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union, the transfer of data outside the EU is permissible only if the receiving country maintains adequate data protection standards. Kleanthi Sardeli, a data protection attorney at Noyb, stated, "Given that China operates as an authoritarian surveillance state, it is evident that the level of data protection in China does not match that of the EU. 

Therefore, the transfer of personal data belonging to Europeans is unequivocally unlawful and should be halted immediately." 

Chinese firms, particularly TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance, have been encountering scrutiny from regulators across multiple nations. TikTok is set to suspend its app for users in the U.S. starting Sunday, coinciding with the implementation of a federal ban on the platform.

Additionally, the European Commission is currently examining TikTok for its alleged failure to mitigate election interference, particularly concerning the upcoming Romanian presidential election in November.