Australia: The federal government of Australia is looking to ban the famous video-sharing application Tik Tok on government devices for security reasons as it is predicted that the security could be compromised. It is said that the platform could be misused for foreign interference by China, reported ABC News.
As per the updates, among the other nations, Australia has now registered its name as the last nation among the “five eyes” intelligence alliance to ban the app after the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
On his part, Attorney General Mark Dreyfus shared the information that the ban will come into motion “as soon as practicable.” The exemptions will be imposed on a case-by-case basis, he added. In his remarks,
He further cited that he received the intel from the security and intelligence agencies, following which he authorised the department of the Attorney General secretary to issue a mandatory instruction under the Protective Security Policy Framework to ban the Tik Tok app given explicitly for the devices of Commonwealth departments and agencies.
Furthermore, the ACT and Victorian governments have released a statement mentioning that they expected an imminent ban, said the reports.
Premier Daniel Andrews, a spokesperson from Victorian, has stated that the Commonwealth’s guidance will be followed thoroughly regarding cybersecurity along with working to bring into action these changes “across the public service as soon as possible.”
On the other hand, a spokesperson from the ACT government has pointed out that they will also join hands with the government to implement the restrictions.
The ACT government was lately notified regarding an imminent announcement from the Commonwealth to ban Tik Tok from all government devices, said a spokesperson in a statement.
During the period of last few months, several countries have decided to ban the Chinese video-sharing app Tik Tok after the revelations that the staff of Tik Tok based in the United States and China have misused the app to spy on American journalists who were writing articles critical of the app, said the ABC News report.
Moreover, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, has cited that the parent company of Tik Tok ByteDance divest the app or else it will face a nationwide ban in the United States. The French government has also banned the Chinese app on government devices and gadgets, NHK World reported.
