March 22, 2023
POLITICIANS are using burner phones or their staff members’ devices to access TikTok, as pressure mounts on the government to enact a ban of the Chinese-owned app on all government devices.
Opposition spokesman for cybersecurity and foreign interference James Paterson said the government should not only ban the app on official devices but extend that to better protections for all Australian users.
A security review of social media, commissioned by Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil, has been handed down and is expected to recommend Australia follows Britain, the US and New Zealand in enacting a government-wide ban.
“I don’t use TikTok because I regard it as a serious national security threat but the advice federal parliamentarians have received ... is to have TikTok on a separate phone to your normal phone that has your emails and other sensitive materials,” Senator Paterson said.
NDIS Minister Bill Shorten, who has 12,300 followers, said he had deleted the app from his phone and used a staff member’s phone to upload videos
