Ajit Karn
Australia announced on Tuesday that it will ban TikTok on all government-owned devices, joining a growing number of Western nations that have imposed restrictions on the Chinese-owned app out of concerns for national security.
Attorney General Mark Dreyfus stated that the decision was based on the advice of the nation’s intelligence agencies and would be implemented “as soon as it is feasible.”
Australia is the last member of the clandestine Five Eyes security alliance to pursue a government TikTok ban, joining its allies the United States, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand.
Similar actions have been taken by France, the Netherlands, and the European Commission.
Dreyfus stated that the government would authorize certain exemptions on a “case-by-case” basis when “appropriate security measures are in place.”
Experts in cyber security have cautioned that the app, which claims more than one billion users, could be used to collect data for the Chinese government.
Fergus Ryan, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, deemed it “obvious” that TikTok should be removed from government devices.
“It has been obvious for years that TikTok user information is accessible in China,” Ryan told AFP.
Given this, it is judicious to prohibit the use of the app on government-issued smartphones.
Beijing would likely perceive it as discrimination and unjust treatment of a Chinese company, according to Ryan.
The security concerns are supported by a Chinese law passed in 2017 that requires local businesses to send over personal data to the state if it is pertinent to national security.
Beijing has denied these reforms pose a threat to average users.
Mao Ning, spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, stated in March that China “has never and will never require companies or individuals to collect or provide data located in a foreign country in violation of local law”
“Grounded in racism”
TikTok asserts that it is not owned or administered by the Chinese government and that such prohibitions are “rooted in xenophobia.”
The company “would never” disclose data to the Chinese government, according to Lee Hunter, the company’s Australian spokesperson.
He told Australia’s Channel Seven, “No one is working harder to ensure that this is never a possibility.”
However, the company acknowledged in November that some employees in China had access to European user data, and in December it disclosed that employees had spied on journalists using the data.
In recent years, the prevalence of this app for sharing brief, humorous videos has exploded.
Initially, many government agencies were anxious to use TikTok to communicate with a difficult-to-reach younger demographic via traditional media channels.
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In March, New Zealand prohibited TikTok from government devices, citing “unacceptable risks” in the current New Zealand Parliamentary environment.
The Australian government announced earlier this year that CCTV cameras manufactured in China would be removed from the offices of legislators due to security concerns.
