A large data processing center for the social video platform TikTok, developed by the Chinese company ByteDance, is to be built in Finland. The investment is to cost almost a billion euros, Reuters reported.
Plans to build TikTok's first data centre in Finland were confirmed by a company spokesman, without providing further details about the investment.
In Europe, TikTok has over 175 million users, and the Nordic countries are particularly interesting for data center locations for technology companies, including giants such as Meta and Microsoft, due to the cool climate, which reduces energy demand, and because of cheaper, emission-free electricity. In April, TikTok's data center in Norway was launched.
The Helsinki daily “Iltalehti”, commenting on Reuters' reports, points out that recently, due to data security and user privacy protection or potential “espionage”, many institutions in Western countries have banned their employees from using the Chinese TikTok on work devices. This was done by, among others, the US House of Representatives, the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Finnish National Assembly (Eduskunta).
The security concerns stem from a Chinese law that requires companies operating in the country to cooperate with intelligence services, the newspaper recalled. As a result, the social media giant is gradually moving its user data storage centers to Europe.
Finnish Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman refused to comment to IL on TikTok's investment plans in Finland.
According to the Finnish Data Processing Centre, more than 20 new server centres are currently planned to be built in Finland.
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