Australia Bans TikTok From Government Devices as Concern Spreads

Australia banned TikTok from government-issued devices, joining the growing list of nations concerned about security threats posed by the Chinese-owned social media platform.

(Bloomberg) — Australia banned TikTok from government-issued devices, joining the growing list of nations concerned about security threats posed by the Chinese-owned social media platform.

Announcing the order on Tuesday, Australian Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said he was acting on advice from intelligence and security agencies. The ban will take effect as soon as possible.

Exemptions may be allowed on a case-by-case basis with certain security measures in place, Dreyfus said. TikTok’s Chinese parent company is ByteDance Ltd.

Read more: Governments From UK to France Jump on the TikTok Ban Bandwagon

Countries that have taken action against TikTok in recent months include Australia’s key intelligence allies the US, Canada, the UK and New Zealand, as well as European nations such as France and the Netherlands. Many of them have cited the ability of TikTok to collect data from devices.

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