A senate committee in Australia has conducted an investigation into the use of social media by foreign powers to interfere in the country. The committee has made 17 recommendations, which include proposing new rules and restrictions for social media platforms. One of the suggestions is to potentially ban Chinese messaging service WeChat on government devices.
The report highlights concerns about national security risks posed by platforms like TikTok and WeChat, as their parent companies, ByteDance and Tencent, are headquartered in China and subject to its national security laws. The committee believes that these platforms, under the control of authoritarian regimes, present cybersecurity risks to sensitive government information.
Another recommendation is to extend the existing ban on TikTok usage on government devices to contractors. The report also suggests assisting developing countries in the Indo-Pacific region to resist “malicious information operations” carried out by authoritarian states.
The committee, led by Senator James Paterson from the Liberal Party and including members from the ruling Labor party, emphasizes the need for transparency rules that would require all major social media platforms to label state-affiliated media accounts and disclose when governments direct content moderation and actions against elected officials’ accounts.
Although the report’s recommendations are not binding, they highlight the concerns of Australian lawmakers about the potential risks associated with foreign-controlled social media platforms and the need for greater transparency and security measures. The government has not yet issued an official response to the recommendations.
