TikTok ban to apply to all state and federal government devices

Daniel Andrews is about to delete the controversial Chinese-owned app and will ban others from using it on government phones.

Daniel Andrews will soon delete his TikTok account in the wake of federal government advice to ban the popular app on government phones.

The Premier said he also expects that nurses and teachers using government phones will be caught up in the new edict.

But Mr Andrews said he was still awaiting key information about the upcoming ban, noting it would be “challenging” to police the order.

“I’m afraid I can’t give you all the specific details of when and how (it will be enforced), but we will deliver the national framework and what will you find over a period of time, hopefully quite soon, (is) that platform will not be supported and not be operated by any Victorian government device,” he said.

“I can’t speak to the intel and the security advice that sits behind it because I have not been briefed about it.

“The release and the discussion of that security advice will be a matter for the Commonwealth government.”

Mr Andrews said it was unlikely the government could restrict the app entirely.

Daniel Andrews has 109.6k followers on Tiktok.

“I don’t know we’d be in a position to regulate what’s on a person’s personal device,” he said.

He added it wasn’t his current advice for everyday Victorians to reconsider having TikTok installed on their phones.

“That’s a matter for them. I might have a different view once I see and am briefed on the security advice that sits behind the Commonwealth government’s decision,” he added.

Mr Andrews, who is a prolific social media user and has nearly 110,000 followers on TikTok, said he hoped other states and territories followed.

“You would hope that we could have a relatively consistent set of arrangements so that it’d apply the same in Albury as it would in Wodonga,” he said.

Mr Andrews did not raise any security concerns about TikTok during his recent China trip.

He said that would not have been appropriate.

Opposition leader John Pesutto, who is not a TikTok user, said his team would take the prohibitions “very seriously”.

“We’ve got to look at the gravity of the risks, and if those risks are serious enough then of course those prohibitions would need to extend to other professions and vocations,” he said.

“At the end of the day, this is based on security concerns and we would always take seriously the advice of the federal government and its intelligence agencies. Security has to come first.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Victorian premier Daniel Andrews are expected to announce the ban on the popular social media app from all federal and Victorian government devices due to security concerns this week, which follows a Department of Home Affairs review into the national security and privacy implications of data collection by social media companies.

All government and department issued devices used by state and federal politicians and public servants will no longer be able to have the TikTok app installed, however the ban s will not apply to use on private devices.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is expected to announce the ban this week. Picture: Supplied

In Victoria, it is also not yet clear whether the ban will extend to teachers, paramedics, fire services and hospital staff using work provided phones.

On Monday night, the Victorian Government confirmed it would implement the ban.

“The Victorian Government will now work to adopt the Federal Government’s new restrictions on using TikTok on all government devices,” a Victorian government spokesperson said.

“We’ve always said we’ll follow the Commonwealth’s guidance when it comes to cybersecurity – and we’ll now work on implementing these changes across the public service as soon as possible.

“We agree with a nationally consistent approach on these policy settings and that’s what we’ll get on and deliver.”

It is unclear whether police would also fall under the same order.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said: “Victoria Police is awaiting advice from the Department of Premier and Cabinet on the issue.”

The move comes after questions were raised about why the Federal government had delayed making a call on the issue.

Similar restrictions have already been introduced by Australia’s Five Eyes security partners the US, UK, New Zealand and Canada, as well as the European parliament.

Security officials have raised concerns the Chinese Government could access data collected by TikTok, who’s parent company ByteDance is based in China.

TikTok general manager Australia and New Zealand, Lee Hunter told News Corp on Monday night the company was “extremely disappointed” by the reported decision, suggesting if confirmed it has been “driven by politics, not by fact”.

“We are also disappointed that TikTok, and the millions of Australians who use it, were left to learn of this decision through the media, despite our repeated offers to engage with government constructively about this policy,” he said.

“Again, we stress that there is no evidence to suggest that TikTok is in any way a security risk to Australians and should not be treated differently to other social media platforms.”

Mr Hunter said TikTok’s millions of Australian users deserved governments which treated all businesses fairly, “regardless of country of origin”.

The US Congress is currently consider a bill that would go even further by banning TikTok and any other platforms with links to foreign governments entirely.

Australia is not currently considering any widespread bans on TikTok.

The Albanese government will ban TikTok from government devices. Picture: Getty

Home Affairs Minister Claire O’Neil last year launched a security review into data harvesting by social media platforms, which is expected to inform the development of policies to prevent the misuse of information collected by various apps.

Albanese Government officials did not respond to requests for comment on the TikTok ban.

But in a national security speech to the John Curtin Research Centre on Monday night, Ms O’Neil took aim at the previous Coalition government for not giving challenges like “the pervasive threats in cyber security” and the “important problem of foreign interference” the “focus they needed”.

“I’m angry to come to government, and to have to begin work fresh on some of these subjects,” she said.

“Work that should already have been years in development.”

Opposition cybersecurity spokesman James Paterson said it had been clear for “some time” banning TikTok on government devices was “necessary”.“I hope the latest media speculation about a TikTok ban is right, and that the Albanese government has finally acted, months after the United States and our closest allies first took action,” he said.

It’s not the first time that security concerns have been raised about TikTok in Australia.

In March, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he would not force public servants to delete TikTok from government phones.

But indicated he may act if federal advice advised to do so.

“I think the best thing to do is wait and see what the Commonwealth government’s national policy settings are,” he said.“ They’re in charge of national security and these other kind of related issues.”

WHICH COUNTRIES ARE BANNING TIKTOK?

Countries around the world have been starting to ban people from using the Chinese-owned app, with the US’ rules to take affect this week.

The bans at this stage largely relate to the use of TikTok on government-issued devices, more than bans for personal use.

It comes after media reports confirmed TikTok user data was being accessed by staff in China, putting it within reach of Chinese laws that can compel companies to hand over information to the government.

And follows an admission from the company that its employees use the app to spy on reporters who broke those stories to track down their sources.

TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew told a US congressional hearing this week that engineers at the company’s Chinese parent company ByteDance would have access to some user data until TikTok’s $US1.5bn “Project Texas” privacy overhaul was completed.

“I have seen no evidence that the Chinese government has access to that data,” he said.

“They have never asked us, we have not provided it.”

The US, UK, Scotland, Canada, New Zealand, France and the European parliament have banned TikTok on staff and government or parliament-related devices.

TikTok has been left ‘extremely disappointed’ by the ban. Picture: Getty

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

TikTok has more than 1 billion users worldwide.

There are more than 8 million Australian users but there are more than 113 million from the US alone.

The social media giant has grown to be more than just a lighthearted platform for entertainment and viral short dance videos.

It’s popularity has led to many businesses, politicians, activists, to name a few, turning to the platform as a means of communicating with different audiences, namely younger demographics.

A lot of start-ups and people in creative industries are making a name for themselves and getting sponsorship deals as a result.

One top Aussie TikToker, Ella Watkins, revealed to News Corp that she made close to half a million dollars from paid content and deals last year.

So banning TikTok could, as protesters argued outside US Congress, jeopardise people’s livelihoods.

It could also risk communication channels individuals have come to rely on.

There are concerns that banning the platform impinges of people’s freedom of expression, leading some to question democratic principles and creation of nanny-like states.

But arguably the biggest concern is around national security – and whether using the platform is putting Aussies’ safety at risk.

FBI director Christopher Wray argues TikTok is: “a tool that is ultimately within the control of the Chinese government … It screams out with national security concerns”.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR KIDS USING TIKTOK?

Australia’s TikTok ban is on the use of the social media platform on government devices.

The government is not currently considering any widespread bans on TikTok.

But parents of those on the platform have been encouraged to have open conversations with their children about rules and what to do when things go wrong.

TikTok brought in some new safety features for young users in February designed to reduce screen time and help parents, the platform said.

The three main changes were: a 60-minute daily screen time limit on accounts held by people under 18 years old; screen time dashboards incorporated into the ‘Family Pairing’ feature; and functionality for parents to mute notifications for their children.

TikTok head of Trust and Safety Cormac Keenan said the changes were designed to help families.

“We believe digital experiences should bring joy and play a positive role in how people express themselves, discover ideas and connect,” he said.

But it prompted a warning from Aussie digital safety expert Kirra Pendergast against parents being complacent with the new changes.

“While these new features are seen as beneficial for the digital wellbeing of children, we must never set and forget,” the founder of Safe on Social said.

“Please continue to have open conversations about rules, limits and what to do when things go wrong.“ There has been no word on the restriction of actual content. Kids may see wildly inappropriate, violent or disturbing content in 60 minutes.”