Australia Bans TikTok on Government Devices

In 2020, India was the first country to impose a nationwide ban on TikTok and other Chinese-owned apps.

TikTok's disappointment

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese agreed to the ban after completing a review conducted by the Home Affairs department, Australian media reported.

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Lee Hunter, TikTok's Australia general manager, said that the company was disappointed to learn of the ban through the media.

He told the Australian newspaper The Age that the company had made "repeated offers to engage with the government constructively about this policy."

Hunter said there is "no evidence" to suggest that the app is a security risk to Australians and "should not be treated differently to other social media platforms."

Previously, TikTok has alleged that the ban initiated by Western nations is rooted in xenophobia.

However, last December, the company conceded that the app had been used to collect user data to spy on journalists.

Earlier this year, Australia announced that, due to security concerns, Chinese-made surveillance cameras would be stripped off from the offices of politicians.

Sources: AFP, Reuters, dpa