Prominent Vienna-based organisation Noyb -- whose name stands for "none of your business" -- already hit TikTok with complaints earlier this year, accusing the company of failing to comply with data access requests, and illegally sending Europeans' personal data to China.

Noyb said Wednesday it had filed two complaints against TikTok, Grindr and AppsFlyer with Austria's data protection authority, arguing the firms had breached the EU's landmark General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) -- which controls how data is collected and used in Europe -- by sharing sensitive personal data and illegally tracking user activities "across the digital space".

The NGO said in one case TikTok tracked a person's usage of the LGBTQ dating app Grindr with the help of Israeli tracking company AppsFlyer.

Noyb said a user "found out about" TikTok's "unlawful tracking practice" through a request for access to the data the app holds on the person.

The illegal sharing of sensitive user information allows TikTok to "gain a full picture" of people's online activities, including "drawing conclusions about (a person's) sexual orientation and sex life", Noyb warned in a statement.

"Like many of its US counterparts, TikTok increasingly collects data from other apps and sources," said Noyb lawyer Kleanthi Sardeli.

Noyb has asked the data protection authority to compel the companies to "stop the unlawful processing" of data and to impose fines.

TikTok did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

In May, Ireland hit TikTok with a massive EU fine of 530 million euros ($600 million), alleging the app had sent personal data of Europeans to China and failed to guarantee it was shielded from access by Chinese authorities.

In late 2021, Norwegian authorities fined Grindr more than six million euros for illegally sharing users' personal data with third parties.

Noyb has launched several legal cases against US technology giants such as Meta and Google, often prompting action from regulatory authorities over violations of the GDPR.

Noyb began working in 2018 with the advent of the GDPR.

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