Australia bans TikTok on government devices over security concerns: Australia banned TikTok on Tuesday from all federal government-owned devices over security concerns, becoming the latest US-allied country to take action against the Chinese-owned video…
The ban will come into effect “as soon as practicable”, attorney-general Mark Dreyfus said, adding that exemptions would only be granted on a case-by-case basis and with appropriate security measures in place.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, in testimony before the US Congress last month, repeatedly denied the app shares data or has connections with the Chinese Communist Party.“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,” Hunter said.
Dreyfus confirmed the federal government had recently received a “Review into Foreign Interference through Social Media Applications” report and that its recommendations remained under consideration.The ban comes on the day Australian and Chinese officials held talks in Beijing in a bid to normalise trade as the World Trade Organisation prepares to release findings into an Australian complaint on barley tariffs.