Albanese government watches as Joe Biden moves on TikTok
The Albanese government is watching closely as the US takes on Chinese social media company TikTok, demanding its owners sell the app or face a ban.
The Albanese government is watching closely as the Biden administration takes on TikTok, demanding the Chinese social media company sell the app or face a ban in the US.
The move comes as Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil awaits a report from her department on the ubiquitous social media service, which analysts warn collects more personal information on users than any comparable app.
Liberal Senator James Paterson, who is chairing a select committee inquiry on foreign interference through social media, said the Albanese government needed to ensure that TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance didn’t come up with a fix to US complaints that left Australian users exposed.
“This is a very significant development in the United States, and a potential solution to the serious national security problems posed by TikTok,” Senator Paterson said.
“But we must ensure Australia is also included in any deal – we can’t afford to be left out while Americans are protected. I don’t see any evidence the Albanese government is ensuring this will cover Australia too.”
US media reports said the Biden administration had hardened its position on TikTok, amid fears Beijing could order the ByteDance to hand over American users’ information.
The White House had previously been trying to negotiate an agreement with TikTok that would apply new safeguards to its data and eliminate a need for ByteDance to sell its shares in the app.
Beijing demanded on Thursday the US stop “unreasonably suppressing” TikTok.
“The US has so far failed to produce evidence that TikTok threatens US national security,” foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.
A senior Labor source said the Home Affairs report was due to be delivered to Ms O’Neil within weeks, and the Biden administration’s move on the app was being closely monitored.
TikTok is hugely popular among private users, particularly young people, but is banned on devices issued by at least half of Australia’s 140 federal agencies.
Concerns over the app relate to the inability of Chinese companies to refuse Chinese Community Party demands for information under the country’s 2014 National Intelligence Law.
The law states that “any organisation or citizen shall support, assist and co-operate with the state intelligence work in accordance with the law”.
But TikTok said a forced sale wouldn’t address the perceived security risk. It has pledged to spend $US1.5bn ($2.25bn) on a program to safeguard US user data and content from Chinese government access or influence, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“If protecting national security is the objective, divestment doesn’t solve the problem: a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access, ” TikTok spokeswoman Brooke Oberwetter said.
“The best way to address concerns about national security is with the transparent, US-based protection of US user data and systems, with robust third-party monitoring, vetting, and verification, which we are already implementing.”
Australian cybersecurity company Internet 2.0 analysed the source code of 21 widely used social and messaging apps, finding TikTok – which has about one billion global users – requested the most data from users.
In a submission to the Senate inquiry, the Australian Signals Directorate warned social media apps could pose security and privacy risks due to “extensive data collection and possible storage and access of that data outside Australia”.
ASIO warned the same committee that social media was “a vector for foreign interference” and could “do serious damage to our sovereignty, values and national interests”.
FBI director Christopher Wray told a recent US Senate hearing that TikTok “screams” of security concerns. He said the Chinese government could use the viral video app to control software on millions of devices – potentially without detection.
The demand for the app to be sold follows similar threats by former US president Donald Trump, which negotiated a deal with ByteDance which never eventuated that would have seen part of TikTok sold to US company Oracle.
There is precedent for the US call for TikTok’s Chinese owners to divest itself of the app.
The Chinese company that owned popular gay dating app Grindr was forced to sell to a US investor group in 2020 amid fears data held on highly placed American users could be used for blackmail and espionage.
Additional reporting: AFP
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