Canberra: Chinese social media app TikTok will reportedly be banned from the devices of Australian federal government employees due to security threats. ‘The Australian’ newspaper reported that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued the directive following a review by the Department of Home Affairs on the dangers posed by TikTok. The ban is expected to be announced on Tuesday itself.
The ban will also apply to mobile phones and other devices provided by the federal government for use by politicians and public servants.
State and territory governments were also notified on Monday of the federal government’s ban. It is indicated that similar rules will be introduced for the officials there.
In the United States, Canada, the European Union and New Zealand, TikTok was removed from devices issued to government employees. These countries also ordered the removal of the app citing cyber security concerns.
The app was banned on the grounds that TikTok could end up with customer data in the hands of the Chinese government. The federal opposition has previously called for the Australian government to intervene in the national security issues raised by TikTok and follow other countries in banning it.
The Chinese government has been accused of using TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, to exchange the personal information of TikTok users.
Very popular among the youth, Tik Tok is one of the most successful social media platforms in the world. TikTok has more than 100 million users in America alone. Meanwhile, TikTok has consistently denied allegations of security issues.
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