Canberra, Australia: On April 4, Australia banned the Chinese video-sharing application TikTok on Government devices over fears that the application’s security could be compromised and the platform could be used for foreign interference by China, ABC News reported.
Australia’s Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has announced that the ban will come into effect “as soon as practicable.” Furthermore, he said that exemptions would be made on a case-by-case basis. He, in a statement, said, “After receiving advice from intelligence and security agencies, today I authorised the secretary of the Attorney-General’s Department to issue a mandatory direction under the Protective Security Policy Framework to prohibit the TikTok app on devices issued by Commonwealth departments and agencies.”
Earlier today, the Victorian and ACT Governments said that they expected an imminent ban on TikTok. A spokesperson for Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said they will follow the Commonwealth’s guidance regarding cybersecurity and will now work on implementing these changes “across the public service as soon as possible.”
The spokesperson said that the territory Government would work with the Government to implement restrictions. Furthermore, the spokesperson said, “The ACT government was notified yesterday of an imminent announcement from the Commonwealth to ban TikTok from Government devices.”
The spokesperson said that the ACT Government would consider similar restrictions on territory Government devices at a security and emergency meeting of the cabinet tomorrow, as per the report. They stressed that the move could be made based on the Commonwealth’s advice and the desirability of national cybersecurity consistency.
ByteDance’s employees spied on American Journalists
On December 22, 2022, four employees of ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok were fired because they inappropriately obtained the data of two American journalists- Emily Baker and Cristina Criddle. Both journalists are involved with two prominent newspaper agencies. Baker is currently working at Forbes and Criddle writes for Financial Times.
According to an email from ByteDance General Counsel Erich Andersen, the main motive behind this act was to leak important information related to the company and find potential connections between the two journalists and company employees.
As per the New York Times, the main tactic used for this covert espionage was conducted by accessing the Internet Protocol (IP) Addresses and other sensitive data of the two reporters. Additionally, they were trying to determine if those individuals have any connection or proximity with the employees of ByteDance.
The ByteDance has its headquarters in the “Forbidden City” of Beijing. It is suspected of operating and running a subsidiary in contravention of the law that strictly restricts numerous Chinese companies (including social media ones) from operating offices in Taiwan.
The United States Administration under Donald Trump and the incumbent Biden government along with numerous lawmakers of the country had forewarned the masses for two years that these organisations and apps pose a significant risk to the security and privacy of people. But this fell on deaf ears and people ignored their warnings.
Taking a cue from the US, more than a dozen states have banned TikTok from government-issued devices and the company is now undergoing several negotiations with the administration on security and privacy measures.
Countries which have banned TikTok
France: On March 24, Stanislas Guerini, French Civil Service Minister, announced that France would ban the use of the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok on the work phones of civil servants. “In order to guarantee the cybersecurity of our administrations and civil servants, the government has decided to ban recreational applications such as TikTok on the professional phones of civil servants,” he tweeted.
New Zealand: Last month, New Zealand joined the list of countries acting against the Chinese-owned video-sharing application, banning it on government-related devices due to rising cybersecurity concerns.
United Kingdom: Following a review of the video-sharing application by Britain’s cyber-security experts, the United Kingdom’s Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Dowden said, “clear that there could be a risk around how sensitive government data is accessed and used by certain platforms.” The United Kingdom banned TikTok from all government devices last month with immediate effect.
European Union: The European Parliament, the European Commission and the EU Council have banned its staff members from downloading or using TikTok over their official phones. Furthermore, the European Parliament “strongly recommended” that the staff members remove the Chinese video-sharing application from their personal phones as well.
Belgium: On March 10, Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo banned the use of TikTok from government phones over worries and risks concerning cybersecurity, privacy and misinformation. He said, “We are in a new geopolitical context where influence and surveillance between states have shifted to the digital world.”
“We must not be naive: TikTok is a Chinese company which today is obliged to cooperate with the intelligence services. This is the reality. Prohibiting its use on federal service devices is common sense,” he added.
Denmark: On March 6, Denmark declared a ban on the use of TikTok over official devices after the Defence Ministry said the Centre for Cyber Security that it assessed there was a risk of espionage in its statement.
Canada: In view of a review by Canada’s chief information officer, the country has prohibited the use of TikTok from all government-issued devices. The government spokesperson said that the application “presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security,” in their statement.
United States: Last month, United States President Joe Biden told government agencies to delete the Chinese video-sharing application within 30 days from all federal devices and systems. Furthermore, the US has also threatened a complete ban on TikTok if its Chinese owners do not divest their stake in it.
India: In 2020, the Government of India banned numerous Chinese applications, including TikTok, after 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in a confrontation with Chinese forces in Galwan Valley. The government said that the applications were “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.”
Taiwan: In December 2022, Taiwan banned TikTok from government devices and initiated a probe against the social media company on suspicions of illegally operating a subsidiary.
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