Australia has become the latest member of the electronic intelligence alliance known as the “Five Eyes”, which bans the use of the Chinese social media platform TikTok on federal government devices due to security concerns.
The decision came after the US, Canada, the UK and New Zealand took similar steps regarding bans.
Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement that this ban would come into effect “as soon as possible”, based on advice from intelligence and security agencies.
First signed between the USA and England in 1946; The “electronic intelligence” alliance known as UKUSA, expanded with the participation of Canada, Australia and New Zealand, is called the Five Eyes.
TIKTOK IS ON THE AGENDA DUE TO SECURITY AND PRIVACY CONCERNS
TikTok faces severe restrictions due to security and privacy concerns that it could be used to spread pro-Chinese views and access user information.
The European Union (EU) executive body, the EU Commission, imposed a TikTok ban on its employees on February 23 due to security concerns.
After the EU Commission and Council, the European Parliament, one of the EU institutions, banned the Chinese social media platform TikTok on the grounds of security concerns to its employees.
In Norway, Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl had to apologize for failing to report that she had installed the TikTok app on her government-allocated phone.
The Danish Ministry of Defense has banned its employees from using the Chinese social media platform TikTok on devices used in official services, within the scope of cyber security measures.
India also banned the use of many Chinese apps in 2020, including TikTok and messaging app WeChat, due to privacy and security concerns.
TICKTOK PROHIBITION EXTENDS
In the USA, many government agencies, including the White House, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and the State Department, banned TikTok without waiting for the vote in Congress in December 2022.
The US House of Representatives also banned the download and use of the TikTok application on official devices used by its members and employees on December 28, 2022.
Apart from Congress and the US armed forces, more than half of US states have also banned the app from official devices.
In addition to the USA, Canada, the UK and New Zealand have also taken similar steps regarding bans.