Video-sharing platform TikTok has announced the app’s most popular content in Ireland in 2023.
Among the top accounts are Ian Slattery from Cork who reshares funny videos; @smashingpencils, an Irish artist who posts art videos, and Rebecca Ryan, an Irish actor and mum of two who shares funny skits that often include the whole family.
Popular Irish small businesses on TikTok throughout the year included I-SPY Clothing, an activewear brand created by a Co Clare mother and daughter duo, Paulette and Louise Egan; Alice Kelly, a 19-year-old Kildare-based baker who has amassed over a million followers; and Sound Quality Gifts, a gift shop in Monaghan that has grown a significant fan following in Ireland around the world.
In October, TikTok announced that there are now 2 million people in Ireland using the app each month.
“It’s been an incredible year for TikTok in Ireland,” said Cormac Keenan, Head of Trust and Safety at TikTok.
“Artists, creators, and businesses from across Ireland have been using TikTok to entertain, inspire and educate us all, whether its farmers using #FarmTok to share glimpses into their daily lives, booklovers using #BookTok to inspire reading across all genres, or #SmallBusiness using the platform to have fun, educate and attract customers,” Mr Keenan said.
Chinese-owned TikTok has faced scrutiny over how much access China has to user data.
In April, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued guidance advising Irish Government departments and state agencies against the use of the app on official devices.
The US and UK governments, as well as EU institutions, have also banned the platform on staff devices over cybersecurity fears.
TikTok has described the government bans as misguided and based on misconceptions.
Ireland is playing a central role in the company’s efforts to address concerns over data security.
A plan called “Project Clover” involves European user information being stored at two data centres in Dublin and at a third centre in Norway.
In October, TikTok secured permission from the High Court to challenge the Data Protection Commission’s decision to fine it €345m for failing to protect children’s privacy on the site.
Source: RTE
