4th April, 2023
Australia has joined other Western countries in prohibiting the use of TikTok on government devices, as the Chinese-owned video app faces mounting criticism for posing a security risk.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus announced the ban on Tuesday, stating that it would be implemented “as soon as practicable.”
The decision puts Australia in line with its Five Eyes intelligence alliance allies.
Similar restrictions have already been announced in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. While New Zealand’s parliament ordered that the app be removed from all devices with access to the legislature.
Norway and the European Parliament have taken similar steps, and NATO banned staffers from downloading the app onto NATO-provided devices last week.
TikTok’s general manager in Australia and New Zealand, Lee Hunter, stated that the company is “extremely disappointed by this decision, which, in our view, is driven by politics.”
“Our millions of Australian users deserve a government that makes decisions based on facts and treats all businesses fairly, regardless of their country of origin,” he said.
According to him, TikTok had repeatedly sought constructive engagement from the Australian government, despite the fact that there was no evidence that the app posed a security risk to the country.
As of early 2023, Australia has 8.30 million TikTok users aged 18 and above.