Australia Bans TikTok on Government Devices

On Tuesday, Australia said it will ban TikTok on all government devices due to national security concerns.

The country has now joined a growing list of Western countries cracking down on the Chinese-owned app.

TikTok is a Beijing-based company owned by ByteDance Ltd. Typically, the app, which has more than 1 billion users, is used to share hilarious videos.

Initially, many governments saw the app as an effective tool for reaching out to a younger demographic, who were seen as difficult to reach through traditional media channels.

Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said the ban would be enacted "as soon as practicable," and exemptions would only be granted on a case-by-case basis and with appropriate security measures in place.

However, cybersecurity experts have repeatedly warned that the app could be used to collect user data which is then shared with the Chinese government.

In 2017, China enacted a law that requires domestic companies to provide personal data to the state if it is relevant to national security.

Beijing has strongly denied these allegations.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in March that China "has never and will not require companies or individuals to collect or provide data located in a foreign country, in a way that violates local law." 

Australia joins France, Belgium, and the European Commission in announcing a ban on the app. With Australia banned, all members of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network, which consists of Australia, Canada, the United States, Britain, and New Zealand, have banned the app from government agencies.

In 2020, India was the first country to impose a nationwide ban on TikTok and other Chinese-owned apps.

Australian media reported that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese approved the ban after completing a review by the Department of Home Affairs.