via Pinterest

Australia should seriously think about adopting a total TikTok ban, according to a key person behind the US campaign. Senior US government officials told Australian senators that in order to address the national security issues raised by TikTok, the government should consider outright banning the app.

Brendan Carr, the US Federal Communications Commissioner, said on Thursday that nations like Australia and the US needed to contemplate outright bans unless TikTok was willing to undertake meaningful divestiture. The federal parliamentary committee was looking into foreign manipulation of social media apps.

Following the example of the US and other Western allies, the federal government earlier this month banned TikTok on all government-owned devices. Now that a complete ban is being discussed in the US, Mr. Carr believes that "Australia should take as well."

TikTok, according to Mr. Carr, poses a serious threat to national security and gives countries very little leeway. "With a ban on TikTok for federal devices, a rifle shot legislation is the best way forward," he said. It would also be possible to divest fully from China, which means cutting all corporate ties to the country. I'm willing to participate in an endeavor like that if it's sincere".

ByteDance, the parent business of TikTok, is in charge of it and is based in Beijing. Long-standing worries have been expressed regarding the app's adherence to Chinese security rules, notably the requirement that data be supplied if the Chinese government requests.

TikTok has denied being a threat to national security or collecting data, claiming that the information is housed in Singapore and the US. However, Mr. Carr, a prominent Republican, claimed there was too much "entanglement" between ByteDance and the Chinese Communist Party. Fergus Ryan, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, claimed that the seven million Australians who use TikTok are always facing obstacles.

He listed three primary threats to national security: data collection, content manipulation, and most importantly, the CCP's "decisive leverage over TikTok."

He claimed that the app was no longer as openly censoring content as it had been in the past, but he also pointed out that the algorithm had changed to use less transparent techniques to elevate some political viewpoints and denigrate others.

As a result, he urged the government to pass "bespoke legislation" to address TikTok and other new apps coming from totalitarian nations. The potential that the CCP may use its power of unflinching influence over TikTok and Byte Dance to affect conversation in a way that is difficult to detect, he added, remains unaddressed. "There needs to be a full revision of regulation around data, but this will still not address the risk.

If TikTok could change its algorithm for business purposes, they "could do it for geopolitical reasons as well," he claimed. It doesn't take much imagination to envision the possibility of that happening with regard to political speech as well, he added.

Since foreign intelligence matters are now handled by various ministries, ASPI has requested that the government names one department to take the lead on the matter. In his opening remarks, committee chair James Paterson, who has been outspoken in his calls to limit the availability of TikTok in Australia, said that while social media had the potential to be beneficial, apps developed by autocratic regimes faced significant concerns.

"We cannot permit foreign authoritarian regimes to have unrestricted access to the devices of millions of Australians and the powerful opportunity that offers them to influence our democracy in this dangerous and uncertain strategic environment. The work to make us harder to target against the threat of foreign interference enabled by the internet begins today", he said.

Before sharing its conclusions in August, the investigation will continue over the ensuing months and include input from TikTok.