Anthony Albanese has issued a government-wide ban on TikTok after a Department of Home Affairs probe highlighted potential security risks.
The ban will apply to all government and department-issued devices operated by politicians and public servants.
State and Territory governments have been briefed, and are expected to implement their own bans. Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has indicated he will enforce a similar ban this week.
This follows bans by Australia’s Five Eyes partners, the US, UK, Canada, and New Zealand.
TikTok General Manager Australia and New Zealand Lee Hunter told The Australian the decision is misguided.
“If confirmed, we are extremely disappointed by this decision, which, in our view, is driven by politics, not by fact,” Hunter said in a statement.
“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.
“Again, we stress that there is no evidence to suggest that TikTok is in any way a security risk to Australians and we should not be treated differently to other social media platforms.
“Our millions of Australian users deserve a government which makes decisions based upon facts and which treats all businesses fairly, regardless of country of origin.”
Unlike the US and Europe, the Australian government is not considering a public ban of the Chinese-owned app.
