To ban or not to ban: Australian government seeks advice on TikTok
The Australian government is looking to the nation’s top security agencies to determine if any actions should be taken against popular social media app TikTok.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government and security agencies were aware of the White Houseās decision to issue a new directive giving all US federal agencies 30 days to wipe the app off government devices.
Questions have been raised about the Chinese-owned social media appās surreptitious data collection methods.
Chalmers said the government hasnāt yet been advised to take the same action as its US counterparts, but it would act on the recommendations of security agencies.
āWeāll take the advice of our national security agencies,ā he told ABC TV.
āBut the advice to us hasnāt yet changed.ā
Home Affairs Minister Clare OāNeil last year ordered her department to investigate how TikTok harvests data following concerns China can access the personal information of Australians.
OāNeil has asked national security agencies to provide a range of options to tackle data collection by social media giants.
China has hit back at the US, saying it firmly opposed the action.
āHow unsure of itself can the worldās top superpower be to fear a young peopleās favourite app like that?ā foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.
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āThe US has been over-stretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress foreign companies.
āThe US government should respect the principles of market economy and fair competition ā¦ and provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for foreign companies.ā
-AAP
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