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Opinion | Australia needs cybersecurity overhaul, not whack-a-mole bans on apps like China’s TikTok

  • If new ban, amid security fears, is only aimed at government devices, can’t same people be susceptible to foreign interference through TikTok on personal devices?
  • Are other platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, that collect significant amounts of user data, any more secure than TikTok?

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Social network TikTok is hugely popular, but lately it is not so popular with some governments. Photo: AFP
Australia has joined other countries in announcing a ban on the use of TikTok on government devices, with some states and territories following suit. The rationale was based on security fears and, in particular, the risk that the video-sharing platform will be used for foreign interference operations by China.
TikTok is operated by ByteDance, a company headquartered in Beijing, but incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Data is allegedly stored in the United States and Singapore.

Like similar sites, TikTok’s privacy policy indicates an expansive approach to the collection and use of personal information. It can collect information from users and third parties (such as advertisers), and it can draw inferences about its users’ interests.

All of this information can then be shared with TikTok’s partners and service providers to, among other things, personalise content and advertising.

The policy also says information will be shared when there is a legal requirement to do so. China’s national intelligence law obliges citizens and organisations to support, assist and cooperate with national intelligence efforts, which could include ByteDance sharing people’s TikTok data.

While TikTok denies it would hand over data in such circumstances, there are reports that data from American users has been accessed by China-based employees. TikTok has also censored content that is politically sensitive in China.

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