Australian government bans TikTok: Chinese app to be removed from all government phones over fears of spying by Beijing
- Anthony Albanese has banned TikTok from govt devices
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Social media app TikTok will reportedly be banned from Australian government-issued devices over security concerns.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has issued the directive following a review by the home affairs department into the risks posed by the Chinese-owned app, according to The Australian newspaper.
The ban would apply to mobile phones and other devices issued by the government for politicians and public servants.
It’s understood state and territory governments received a briefing on Monday about the federal ban and are expected to follow through with similar bans.
The announcement of the ban is expected to be made by the government either on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured) has reportedly issued a directive to ban TikTok from all Australian government devices
The move follows the United States, Canada and the European Union prohibiting government employees from having TikTok on work-issued devices.
Concerns over TikTok relate to the potential for data to be harvested and accessed by the Chinese government under national laws that can compel companies to hand over information.
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The federal opposition has been calling for the government to act on the national security concerns and follow other countries in instituting bans.
ByteDance, which owns the social media app, has denied its user data can be supplied to Beijing and claims TikTok poses no risk to Australians.
The ban in Australia follows the United States, Canada and the European Union prohibiting government employees from having the video app on work-issued devices (stock issue)
TikTok responded to the ban late on Monday night.
‘If confirmed, we are extremely disappointed by this decision which, in our view, is driven by politics, not fact,’ a statement from Lee Hunter, General Manager TikTok Australia and New Zealand, read.
‘We are also disappointed that TikTok, and the millions of Australians who use it, were left to learn of this decision through the media, despite our repeated offers to engage with (the) government constructively about this policy.
‘Again,…there is no evidence to suggest that TikTok is in any way a security risk to Australians and should not be treated differently to other social media platforms.’
AAP has contacted the government for comment.
More to come.
