August 3, 2023
Major businesses winning taxpayer contracts are banning Chinese social media apps such as TikTok and WeChat from employees’ phones ahead of a Senate committee report recommending it.
Two of the big four accounting firms — KPMG and EY — are restricting some access to the high-risk apps to prevent data security and foreign interference risks.It comes four months after the Commonwealth banned the use of TikTok on government issued devices following advice from intelligence agencies.
A report out this week following a bipartisan Senate inquiry into foreign interference found the Government’s ban should be extended to contractors and staff in critical infrastructure assets such as banks, airports and electricity providers.“KPMG restricts access to TikTok through the KPMG network, however, we currently do not have a ban on the use of it on all devices — noting that some ofour people have company-issued phones, some use personal devices,” a KPMG spokeswoman told The West Australian.
At EY, TikTok and WeChat are not approved on work-issued devices. “Where EY (staff) use a personal device for work-related activities, prior to doing so, EY requires the device be enrolled with an endpoint device management system that allows them to securely access work related resources,” a firm spokeswoman said.
It’s understood Deloitte, PwC, McKinsey & Co and Boston Consulting Group have banned the use of TikTok or limited access after a letter from shadow cyber security minister James Paterson urging them to do so.In April, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his Government would not force companies to implement the same measures as the Commonwealth on TikTok use.The Senate committee has also recommended WeChat be banned on government devices“given it poses similar data security and foreign interference risks”.The report stated the Government require all social media platforms operating in Australia to meet minimum transparency principles, including labelling state-affiliated accounts and disclosing any directions from governments.
