The US Federal Communications Commissioner, Brendan Carr, recently made a statement to a federal parliamentary inquiry regarding the dangers posed by the popular social media app TikTok. Carr suggested the Australian and US governments should consider a total ban of the app in order to address national security concerns.
TikTok has been a source of controversy around the globe due to its ties to the Chinese government. The app has been accused of harvesting user data and providing it to the Chinese government, raising questions about user privacy and national security. In response to these concerns, the US government has already banned the use of TikTok on government-owned devices.
Following the example of US and other western allies, the federal government prohibited the use of TikTok on all government devices earlier this month. Now, the US discussion, led by Mr Carr, has shifted to a total ban – a step he believes Australia should also take.
Mr Carr declared TikTok presents a major danger to national security, limiting countries’ options.
He argued the best approach at present is to adopt “rifle shot” legislation that enforces a prohibition or divestment, as well as banning TikTok from federal devices.
Fergus Ryan, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, stated whenever the seven million Australian users of TikTok open the app, they are taking a risk.
