As the most recent U.S. ally to take action against the Chinese-owned video app, TikTok, the Australian government said on Tuesday that it will delete the app from all federal government-owned smartphones due to security concerns.
The action highlights rising concerns that the Chinese government may exploit the Beijing-based business, which is owned by ByteDance Ltd., to collect user data for political purposes, harming Western security interests.
It runs the risk of escalating international tensions that have subsided somewhat since the Labor administration of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took office again in May.
In a statement, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the ban will go into force "as soon as practically possible" and that exceptions would only be made in certain circumstances and after having put in place adequate security measures.
All participants in the so-called "Five Eyes" intelligence-sharing network, which includes Australia, Canada, the United States, Britain, and New Zealand, have now prohibited the app from use on official devices as a result of Australia's action. The European Commission, France, and Belgium have all announced similar prohibitions.
Once the Home Affairs department's review was finished, the Australian newspaper published a late Monday article stating that Albanese had consented to a government-wide ban on the use of TikTok.
Dreyfus acknowledged that the federal government had just received the "Review into Foreign Interference through Social Media Apps" report and that its suggestions were still being taken into account.
TikTok said it was "greatly disappointed" at Australia's decision, saying it was "driven by politics, not by reality." There is "no evidence to imply that TikTok is in any way a security risk for Australians," according to Lee Hunter, General Manager of TikTok Australia and New Zealand, and it shouldn't be treated any differently from other social media platforms.
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