TikTok, threatened with a potential ban in the United States, and accused of transferring user data to China, is hoping to win the trust of its Europen users by pledging to open a data centre in Ireland.

The centre, which will hold user data locally, is expected to be operational by early 2022. It is the first such initiative of TikTok in Europe.

Announcing the $500 million project, Roland Cloutier, TikTok’s global chief information security officer, said in a blog post that it would “have a network security defense system planned around this new operation.”

He also said that the project will create hundreds of new jobs and play a key role in further strengthening, safeguarding and protecting TikTok user data. The company is currently holding the user data in its US and Singapore centres. 

“This new regional data centre will deliver tangible benefits, including enabling faster loading time that will help our TikTok community to enjoy an even better experience,” he wrote.

The US administration, which had threatened to ban the app, had changed its course and said that the app can keep operating if it was sold to an American owner. It also gave Microsoft 45 days to strike a deal.