While TikTok argues with the US Congress about accessing the home wi-fi, and the EU contemplates data privacy issues with TikTok, Australia has been following in the footsteps of Brussels and the UK and banned the social media platform from all government devices.
Australian Attorney General Mark Dreyfus announced on Tuesday, April 4th, that the ban of the app was based on advice from security agencies and will apply to all federal public servants. They were asked to remove the app as soon as possible.
Additionally, the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC), a government-funded entity, is reviewing its use of the platform.
Partial bans are growing, with the US and Canada, a large majority of the EU and now Australia and New Zealand having banned the platform from government devices. Meanwhile India and Afghanistan have a full ban in place and Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh have a temporary ban in place.
As SocialMediaToday put it: “While much of TikTok’s counter-offensive has focused on how other social media apps gather up user data as well, the concern here is that TikTok information could potentially be shared with Chinese authorities, which could then see it used against government employees, who may be in a position to influence policy.”
