The Australian government has announced a long-expected ban of the Chinese social media app TikTok on government-owned devices. What were the concerns and what does it mean for the future of the app?
What is the TikTok ban in Australia?
On Tuesday, the Australian attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, announced the ban on government devices, which means government employees who have installed the app on their government-owned phone will need to delete it as soon as possible.
Except in limited circumstances, government phones will not be allowed to have the app installed in future.
Who does the ban apply to?
The ban applies to all government-issued devices from non-corporate commonwealth entities, meaning it will apply to most departments, as well as agencies including the National Gallery, but won’t apply to corporate entities such as the ABC, SBS, Australia Post or NBN.
Guardian Australia understands Australia Post does not currently ban TikTok, but is reviewing the policy in light of the government ban.
The states and territories are likely to follow the commonwealth’s lead, but so far only Victoria has committed to implementing the ban.
The ban has been implemented at a government level in other western countries including the US, the UK, New Zealand, Canada and France.
What are the security risks?
We do not have access to the Department of Home Affairs review that informed the ban, but the accompanying direction from the government states TikTok “poses significant security and privacy risks to non-corporate commonwealth entities arising from extensive collection of user data and exposure to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government that conflict with Australian law”.
The main concern is China’s national security law coupled with the data TikTok collects on its users. The 2017 law requires organisations and citizens to “support, assist and cooperate with the state intelligence work”.
Experts say while there is no definitive proof that China’s government has used this law with TikTok, the type of data TikTok collects makes this a high risk.
What data does TikTok collect?
That data includes, at a minimum, the profile the company develops on its users to use in the algorithm for the For You feed that determines the videos the user is most likely to be interested in, as well as the registration information provided and, if allowed, location information.
In July last year, Australian-US cybersecurity firm Internet 2.0 reported the app could seek much more data on its users, particularly those on Android phones, where apps can request much more access to a user’s device than on an iPhone.
The app could request user contact lists, access calendars, scan hard drives and geolocate devices on an hourly basis.
TikTok says Australian data is not held in China but there is concern the data could be accessed within China.
The Australian shadow cybersecurity minister, James Paterson, said banning the app from government-issued devices “removes the espionage risk” for public servants.
Last year BuzzFeed reported that US user data had been repeatedly accessed by China-based employees at TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. In December the company also admitted that employees had used the app to spy on reporters.
But won’t the same risks exist on personal devices?
Yes, but the ban doesn’t extend to the devices government employees own themselves.
Paterson indicated the Coalition’s concern around the use of the app on government devices was the risk to sensitive government data or apps held on those phones.
Some members of parliament have indicated they plan to continue using TikTok on their personal devices; however, some politicians, including Dreyfus and Paterson, have said they do not use the app.
The government services minister, Bill Shorten, and the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, have said they will stop using the app.
Are there any other risks?
There has long been suspicion that TikTok could manipulate the For You feed algorithm to present videos that it, or the Chinese government, wants.
After the TikTok chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, appeared before the US Congress last month, users reported seeing many “pro-Chew” videos on their For You pages, suggesting this was being artificially promoted by TikTok.
TikTok denied the suggestion and others said it was more likely a result of the app’s algorithm responding to users having pro-TikTok feelings. But the lack of transparency over how the algorithm operates raises concern that it could be manipulated in such a way.
The Guardian reported in 2019 that TikTok had instructed moderators to censor videos that mention Tiananmen Square, Tibetan independence or the banned religious group Falun Gong, according to leaked documents.
Will there be a nationwide ban on TikTok?
Australia’s final position on TikTok will likely follow the United States, which is considering a ban on anyone in the US using the app.
So far, the government hasn’t indicated whether the ban will go further. Paterson told Sky News on Sunday the opposition would like to see a further review of the app, including the possibility of a ban.
Paterson said by putting the possibility of the ban on the table, it could make TikTok open to other options. The options could include, as the US is pushing for, the divestment of TikTok from Chinese ownership.
What has TikTok said?
The company’s Australia and New Zealand general manager, Lee Hunter, said TikTok was “extremely disappointed” by the decision, which the company said was “driven by politics, not fact”.
“We stress that there is no evidence to suggest that TikTok is in any way a security risk to Australians,” he said, adding that it should not be treated differently to other social media platforms.
“Our millions of Australian users deserve a government which makes decisions based upon facts and who treats all businesses fairly, regardless of country of origin.”
