The Australian government has banned the social media app Tiktok from all government devices following a security review by Home Affairs Minister Claire O’Neil.
The ban, which was announced on Tuesday by Australia’s Attorney General Mark Dreyfus, will prohibit any government-issued devices operated by politicians and public servants from installing the social media app as international concerns over espionage risks rise.
Dreyfus said in a statement on Tuesday that the ban would come into effect “as soon as practicable.” He said exemptions would be granted on a case-by-case basis.
After receiving advice from intelligence and security agencies, today I authorised the Secretary of the Attorney-General’s Department to issue a mandatory direction under the Protective Security Policy Framework to prohibit the TikTok app on devices issued by Commonwealth departments and agencies,” Dreyfus said.
“The direction will come into effect as soon as practicable.”
However, he noted that there will be possible exemptions to be granted on a “case-by-case basis and with appropriate security mitigations in place.”
The move brings Australia into line with its Five Eyes allies and nine other countries and multinational organisations, including the UK, the United States, India, Canada, New Zealand, Taiwan, the Netherlands, France, Denmark, Norway, Pakistan and the EU.
Concerns around Tik Tok security rose after the company admitted last year that employees of its parent company ByteDance had spied on U.S. journalists from Forbes who were investigating the company.
A team led by ByteDance’s former chief internal auditor, Chris Lepitak, improperly gained access to multiple journalists’ IP addresses and other user data through TikTok and then cross-referenced that data to identify whether the journalists had frequented the same areas as ByteDance employees.
Following the report, national security and cybersecurity experts raised concerns over the amount of access the Chinese Communist Party had to data from TikTok under the new civil-military fusion laws from 2017, which forces civilian companies to provide the CCP with private data.
TikTok Australia General Manager Lee Hunter has denied there is any issue with the security of private data and implied the company was suffering pushback due to its association with China.
He told ABC Radio National program on March 24: ” Whatever you might think of China, we are not China. We are focused on user security and privacy. We are focused on giving people useful, interesting entertaining videos in their day.”
TikTok Security Concerns Very Real
However, Chief Strategy Officer at cyber CX Australia Alastair MacGibbon has pushed back on Hunter’s comments, saying Tiktok has a history of denying it actually does breach privacy rules.
“For example, in December last year, you had them admitting to tracking journalists using their own app to look for what the sources of information were that journalists were using,” MacGibbon told Radio National on Tuesday.
“The CEO, in front of Congress, just recently denied that they would access data but then admitted under questioning that if asked or compelled by the Chinese Communist Party that he would provide data, so the denials are worthless.”
MacGibbon said he was pleased with the federal government’s decision to ban the social media app, adding that it was well known that Tiktok reduces the visibility of anti-CCP advocates like pro-democracy activists of Uyghurs and others.
“So why should we allow ourselves to be subjected to a company that will essentially depress and press people in favor of democracy?” he said.
“Why should we trust a company that will track a journalist? Why wouldn’t they track public officials or bureaucrats? Because that is what they will do. That’s what the Chinese Communist Party does, and it’s time for action. ”
States Follow Suit As Ban Announced in Victoria
The ban, looks set to follow through to the Australian states and territories, with a spokesperson for the Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews confirming Victoria would follow the federal government’s guidance.
“We’ve always said we’ll follow the Commonwealth’s guidance when it comes to cybersecurity—and we’ll now work on implementing these changes across the public service as soon as possible,” a spokesperson for Premier Daniel Andrews said, reported hit.com.au.
“We agree with a nationally consistent approach on these policy settings, and that’s what we’ll get on and deliver.”
The ABC has also confirmed that the Australian Capital Territory would also implement a ban on its devices.
“The ACT government was notified yesterday of an imminent announcement from the Commonwealth to ban TikTok from Government devices,” they said in a statement.
“Based on the Commonwealth’s advice and the desirability of national cybersecurity consistency, the ACT government will consider similar restrictions on territory government devices at a security and emergency management meeting of Cabinet tomorrow.”
The Epoch Times has also reached out to South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory, Tasmania and New South Wales over whether they will also follow suit.
Growing Concerns Over Tiktok’s Effect on Teenagers and Children
William Burns, the director of the CIA, has warned about children being potentially harmed by spending time on TikTok and talked about the dangers posed by the app that is owned by a China-based company.
In a recent interview with PBS, Burns was asked about his recommendation to people regarding their kids’ usage of TikTok.
“I’d be really careful,” he replied.
When asked if he would add anything more, Burns responded, “No, really careful.” He said it was “genuinely troubling” how the Chinese government is able to manipulate TikTok.
“Because the parent company of TikTok is a Chinese company, the Chinese government is able to insist upon extracting the private data of a lot of TikTok users in this country, and also to shape the content of what goes on to TikTok as well to suit the interests of the Chinese leadership. I think those are real challenges and a source of real concern,” he said.
In a recent interview with Fox News, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) called for banning TikTok, arguing that the app exposes minors to “violent, depraved, degrading sexual material,” and body image issues for young girls. This is the kind of stuff that Beijing would “never” let Chinese teenagers watch. TikTok is also a risk to data security and privacy, he noted.
Burns’ warning about TikTok use comes as a new report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found that the app is pushing self-harm and eating disorder content into children’s feeds. Imran Ahmed, chief exec of CCDH, insisted that TikTok was designed to influence young users into giving up their time and attention.
The app is “poisoning” children’s minds, promoting “hatred” of their own bodies, and pushing suggestions of self-harm and potentially deadly attitudes towards food, he stated.
“Parents will be shocked to learn the truth and will be furious that lawmakers are failing to protect young people from Big Tech billionaires, their unaccountable social media apps, and increasingly aggressive algorithms,” Ahmed said.
Last month, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told Fox News that TikTok is an “enormous threat.” He also admitted that former President Donald Trump was “right” about the danger the app posed to America.
“So, if you’re a parent, and you’ve got a kid on TikTok, I would be very, very concerned. All of that data that your child is inputting and receiving is being stored somewhere in Beijing.”
From The Epoch Times