Australia’s PM Scott Morrison going to launch an investigation on TikTok

Last updated on March 1st, 2023 at 07:05 am

As per a report in South China Morning Post, Australia will launch an investigation on TikTok and WeChat applications built by China over security issues. There is a possibility that the Chinese government might have access to the confidential users’ data, due to which many Australian administrators have communicated their concerns about privacy issues.

After India banning TikTok alongside over 50 other Chinese applications, Australia and the United States are investigating and possibly also going to ban the popular Chinese app, Tiktok.

Australia’s PM Scott Morrison on Friday stated that the Australian government was observing TikTok “intently” and “won’t hesitate” about making a move against the video-sharing application if it is required. 

In response, TikTok has written to Australian MPs demanding to be “trapped in the center” of rising strains among nations, and saying the app is being utilized for political propaganda. The letter states that the blames on Tiktok, and their connections to the Chinese government are false.

Prior, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also expressed that there is a possibility to ban TikTok as it’s the question about the protection of the data of citizens of America. He explained that his remarks on TikTok were about assessing the danger regarding the Chinese Communist Party. 

As indicated by The Guardian, the security and privacy information collected and utilized by TikTok is known, the application is presently confronting new tensions from governments around the globe about their associations with the Chinese government and sharing users’ data. 

According to reports, TikTok gathers information through challenges, competitions, conducting surveys to get extra data about users to customize and advertise content. Probably, it also gathers a wide range of technical data from the user’s mobile, The Guardian announced.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age say that the Morrison administration is probably going to set up an investigation into social media organizations, which would be informed after advice from security offices. 

Government sources announced the inquiry, which won’t be a proper public probe. It will possibly take a gander at the security threats presented by social media platforms, for example, TikTok, and also apps utilized especially by the Chinese diaspora, for example, Weibo and WeChat.

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