CANBERRA: Social media platform TikTok denies a report that it is being banned in Australia. This comes as the Chinese company faces increased pressure in the West over concerns that data stored by the platform may spill out to Chinese law enforcement authorities.
It has already been banned in India, following that country’s military border skirmishes with China, and in Australia there are reports calling for its ban.
However, the Foreign Interference through Social Media senate inquiry is set to examine the app’s future in Australia.
Committee chair Labor Senator Jenny McAllister, pictured, has told the ABC it was unclear where TikTok stored its data and unclear what the platform’s content moderation policies are.
She pointed to a decision by TikTok to delete material about the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing.
TikTok, in a statement to The Australian, said: “TikTok Australia user data is stored in Singapore, and their chief information security officer has outlined their efforts to minimise data access across regions.”
