TikTok faces Australian security investigation as Donald Trump threatens US ban
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison has reportedly asked the country’s security services to investigate the Chinese-owned app
- Social media platform has already been banned in India and has caused growing international concern about data security and user privacy
Australia has launched a security investigation into TikTok, according to local media reports, as the Chinese-owned video sharing app comes under increasing pressure worldwide.
The platform has already been banned in India and on Friday Donald Trump told reporters that he wanted to ban it. Other countries, including Japan, are also investigating the app over privacy and security concerns.
Prime Minister Scott Morison has asked intelligence agencies to investigate whether it poses a security threat, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Sunday.
The report continued that the Department of Home Affairs was also exploring what steps the government can take to manage any privacy or data security risks posed by the app, adding that the biggest Chinese social media platforms WeChat was facing similar scrutiny.
Some Australian members of parliament have called for a ban on TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech firm ByteDance.
TikTok has been under scrutiny by lawmakers in the US since last year over concerns that the company would be forced to hand over user data to the Chinese government based on Beijing’s 2017 national security law.