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Australia is scrutinising the favored Chinese-owned social media TikTok platform for any dangers it might pose to customers from round potential international interference and data privateness points, authorities sources instructed Reuters.
Owned by Bytedance, TikTok opened an workplace in Australia in current weeks. Offices of each the Home Affairs and Attorney-General are discussing TikTok’s operations, the sources mentioned.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison mentioned his authorities was “having a good look” at TikTok, which has additionally fallen under US scrutiny for “national security risks”.
Also learn: TikTok considers London and other locations for headquarters
“If we consider there is a need to take further action than we are taking now, then I can tell you we won’t be shy about it,” Morrison instructed Melbourne radio station 3AW on Friday.
Separately, Labor Senator Jenny McAllister, the chairwoman of a parliamentary inquiry into international interference by social media, has recognized TikTok as needing additional scrutiny, noting 1.6 million younger Australians used the app.
“Some of these approaches to moderating content might be inconsistent with Australian values,” she instructed ABC radio.
“For example, removing material about Tiananmen Square, or deprioritising material about Hong Kong protests,” she added, referring to pupil protests in Beijing in 1989 and pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong over the previous yr.
Also learn: Decision on TikTok, other Chinese apps within weeks, not months: White House
Two of the three administrators of the brand new Australian TikTok operation are senior executives of Chinese father or mother firm ByteDance, firm data seen by Reuters present.
TikTok Australia basic supervisor Lee Hunter, who was recruited from Google in June, has written to Australian politicians saying TikTok was “being used as a political football”.
It was “critical you understand that we are independent and not aligned with any government, political party or ideology”, the letter mentioned, including TikTok Australia’s data was saved securely in Singapore and the United States.
Last week, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern appeared with an impersonator in a video posted on the extremely common social media app.
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