Another Country Blocks TikTok Access From Government Devices

The battle lines are being drawn in the war on social media. Countries all around the world are taking a stance against the popular Chinese-owned app, TikTok. What does this mean for the future of other social media outlets? Rising tensions between major nations have catapulted news of global opposition towards the foreign app, the clock is ticking for the social media giant. 

In a move hailed by many as responsible, the Australian government recently announced that it has joined several other nations in banning the social media app TikTok on government devices due to security concerns. 

Fox news reports, in a statement Tuesday, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said a ban would go into effect “as soon as practicable,” citing intelligence and security agencies’ advice.

TikTok has been banned on government devices in Australia along with the four other “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing partners, the United States, Canada, Britain, and New Zealand.

Additionally, the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the EU Council have banned TikTok on devices used by staff. Last month, the European Parliament implemented a ban on TikTok, advising lawmakers and staff to remove the app from their smartphones.

TikTok, owned by Chinese technology company Bytedance, has said it will not share its data with Chinese government agencies. In an effort to keep U.S. user data out of the Chinese government’s reach, the platform is storing U.S. user data in Texas.

In 2020, India banned TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps, including WeChat, over privacy and security concerns.

U.S. authorities ordered federal agencies to remove TikTok from federal devices and systems within 30 days last month. Only government devices are affected by the ban, but an outright ban is supported by both parties in Congress.

Inside Edition reported on the international measures being taken.

It’s no surprise many nations don’t trust the APP due to its ties and this should wake users up. Our U.S. government has an obligation to protect us from foreign threats so knowing just how desperate the CCP is to gain global control, this should make us think twice about apps they release internationally. This is a discussion that truly needs to be talked about more in depth to move forward with either a complete ban or not. 

Let’s continue this conversation, in the comments below.