On Monday, Australian tabloids reported that the government will ban the Chinese-owned video app TikTok for government phones this week.
According to The Australian, citing an investigation by the Home Affairs department. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prohibited the app’s use across the whole government.
The Age cites a Victoria state government official as saying that the state would adhere to federal norms. It would restrict the short video app on government phones.
The app has been banned on government-issued devices in the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, Belgium, and the European Commission.
ByteDance, the Beijing-based company that controls the TikTok app, is under greater scrutiny. Mainly due to worries that user data from the app might end up in the hands of the Chinese government. Thereby jeopardizing Western security interests.
The Age said that Lee Hunter, general manager of Tiktok Australia, was surprised to learn about the ban via the media rather than directly from the government, despite the company’s “previous commitments to work constructively with government on this matter.”
He was quoted as adding that TikTok “should not be treated differently from other social media sites.” “We emphasize that there are no indications that TikTok poses a security risk to Australians,” he added.
