Social media app TikTok is expected to be banned from Australian government-issued devices over security concerns.
The Australian newspaper reported on Monday night that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has issued the directive following a review by the home affairs department into the risks posed by the Chinese-owned app.
The ban would apply to mobile phones and other devices issued by the government for politicians and public servants.
According to the report, state and territory governments received a briefing on Monday about the federal ban and are expected to follow through with similar rules for their officials.
The announcement of the ban is expected to be made as early as Tuesday. AAP has contacted the government for comment.
TikTok responded to the ban late on Monday night.
“If confirmed, we are extremely disappointed by this decision which, in our view, is driven by politics, not fact,” a statement from TikTok Australia and New Zealand general manager Lee Hunter read.
“We are also disappointed that TikTok, and the millions of Australians who use it, were left to learn of this decision through the media, despite our repeated offers to engage with (the) government constructively about this policy.
“Again, … there is no evidence to suggest that TikTok is in any way a security risk to Australians and should not be treated differently to other social media platforms.”
The move follows the US, Canada and the European Union prohibiting government employees from having TikTok on work-issued devices.
New Zealand was the latest country to impose a ban on the app on devices with access to the parliamentary network.
In the UK, TikTok has also been banned on government mobile phones. Both countries cited security concerns.
Other countries that have various bans on TikTok, or have banned it in the past include India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Belgium, Canada and Taiwan.
Concerns over TikTok relate to the potential for data to be harvested and accessed by the Chinese government under national laws that can compel companies to hand over information.
The federal Opposition has been calling for the government to act .
Mr Hunter appeared on The Project last month and said Australians can feel safe, as their data from the app is not held in China.
“TikTok has been set up deliberately outside of China recognising some of these geopolitical concerns that are out there, and so we’ve taken enormous steps to make sure that users are safe,” Mr Hunter said.
He acknowledged that while TikTok does have employees that work in China, many other companies that operate within Australia do also.
The main concern politicians in Australia and overseas have are due to laws in China that require businesses stationed there to turn over information if the government asks for it.
“One of the laws they have to work within is China’s 2017 national intelligence law because they are headquartered in China and therefore subject to those laws,” Opposition cyber security spokesman James Paterson said.
“And what those laws require is that all Chinese citizens and companies co-operate with China’s intelligence services and keep that co-operation secret.
“So, if they’re asked by the Chinese government to hand over the data on Australian citizens, they will have to comply and we will never know (and) TikTok Australia may never know that their parent company is engaging in this co-operation.”
An audit conducted by Mr Paterson revealed many government agencies have already taken steps against the platform.
The audit revealed 25 government departments had banned the app outright, 12 partially banned it, and 11 permitted its use.
ByteDance, which owns the social media app, has denied its user data can be supplied to Beijing.
-with AAP
