SYDNEY: Australia is set to announce a ban on TikTok on government mobile devices this week, following similar actions by other countries in barring the video app that is owned by a Chinese company over security worries, according to reports by Australian newspapers late on Monday.
The country’s PM Anthony Albanese gave the nod to an across-the-board government ban on TikTok usage following a review by the Australian Home Affairs department, the daily newspaper The Australian reported.
The state of Victoria also plans to ban TikTok from government mobile phones, The Age newspaper said in a report, which quoted a state government official as saying Victoria would act in accordance with the federal government’s guidance.
The United States, Canada, Britain, New Zealand, and Belgium, along with the European Commission, have previously banned the application from official phones over security worries.
Western countries worried over data user use by TikTok
TikTok has come under intensifying scrutiny over concerns that user data from the app, which is owned by the ByteDance company that is based in Beijing, could fall into the grasp of China’s government, thus affecting the West’s security interests.
Lee Hunter, Tiktok Australia’s general manager, according to The Age said his company was disappointed to come to know of the measure via the media despite repeated offers by the company to engage with the Australian government constructively regarding this issue.
Hunter further stressed that there is no evidence that suggests TikTok is a security risk, in any manner, to the Australian public and does not to be treated differently as compared to other social media platforms.
