TIKTOK IS TO open a new cybersecurity centre in Ireland as part of efforts to “stay ahead of next-generation security threats”.

The social media giant has announced that Dublin will be the first location of what it calls a ‘regional fusion centre’ to help the company respond to security incidents in real time, 24 hours a day.

Chief security officer Roland Cloutier said the centres were the next step for TikTok to ensure security is “built-in from the start”.

“When people use TikTok, we know they’re entrusting us with their data, and we take our duty to protect that data very seriously,” he said.

“Our global security organisation operates a ‘follow the sun’ approach so that people on teams around the world are always focused on protecting people’s information – and ensuring that our next-generation entertainment platform can anticipate and stay ahead of next-generation security threats.”

The centre is set to create more than 50 new jobs in security, privacy and policy.

Cloutier said the Dublin site will “advance our on-platform threat discovery to protect our community; accelerate the delivery of next-generation cyber-threat monitoring, and assemble cyber investigations and working groups to tackle digital crime”.

He added that while these latest security efforts will be led out of a centre in the US, the Dublin centre will play a “critical role” in helping the platform “identify, evaluate and eliminate risks” to the platform and its users.

The video-sharing giant already has a number of other centres based in Ireland. 

It established its EMEA Trust & Safety Hub in Dublin last year, and its European Transparency and Accountability Centre should be fully operational by the end of 2021.