TikTok Banned On Government Devices In Australia

Posted by: Kyeyune Andrew Jonathan in Tech April 4, 2023

The Australian government has revealed that as of today, Tuesday 4 April, 2023, it will ban social media app TikTok on government devices. It has now joined a list of Western Nations investigating the Chinese app due to fears of National Security.

Mark Dreyfus, the Attorney-General said this decision is backed by advice from the country’s intelligence agencies. He revealed that it is to begin as soon as practicable.

Australia has become the last member of the secretive Five Eyes security alliance to push for the ban of TikTok.

They now join their Allie’s the USA, Britain, Canada and New Zealand. Other countries that have made the same move include France, the Netherlands as well as the European Commission.

According to Dreyfus, the government would approve a few exemptions on a case-by-case basis. However, he said this would be accompanied with appropriate security mitigations in place.

“It’s been clear for years that TikTok user data is accessible in China. Banning the use of the app on government phones is a prudent decision given this fact,” Fergus Ryan, an analyst with Australian Strategic Policy Institute said.

The security concern came about after a 2017 Chinese law that required local firms to hand over personal data to the state if relevant to national security. However, though, Beijing has vehemently denied these reforms pose a threat to ordinary users.

TikTok is used to share short lighthearted videos and in recent years it has spiked in popularity.

Many government departments saw this as an opportunity to connect more with a young demographic that is hard to reach through traditional media channels.

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