August 26, 2023
The Victorian parliament has banned TikTok from all devices wanting to access the parliamentary system.
Details of the new IT security requirement were issued on Friday, after similar moves in the US, UK, Scotland, Canada, New Zealand, France and the European parliament.
“Following advice from the federal Attorney-General’s office and the release of the Victorian government’s administrative guidelines on improving the cybersecurity of government systems and data ... if the TikTok App is installed on your mobile device (iPhone, iPad, etc.), you will not be able to access parliamentary systems on that device,” the directive said.“This is the same whether you are using a parliament purchased device or your personal device to access parliamentary systems.”
The ban comes into effect from October 6. TikTok links will still be accessible through a web browser.
The ban follows a federal Department of Home Affairs review into the national security and privacy implications of data collection by social media companies.
Further action could follow after a recent Senate investigation raised serious national security concerns about both TikTok and WeChat, whose parent companies have strong Chinese links.The Senate committee on Tuesday made 17 recommendations to tackle the threat to Australia’s democracy, saying it was “gravely concerned” that the information users received on the platforms was being influenced by foreign government directions.“Where authoritarian regimes rely on secrecy and deception to advance their national interests on social media, Australia should rely on openness and transparency to secure our own,” chair Senator James Paterson said.
“That’s why we have recommended a range of enforceable transparency standards, so that users can both evaluate the content they see on these platforms,and the conduct of the platforms themselves.”
Senator Paterson said WeChat “comprehensively failed the transparency test” by refusing to participate in public committee hearings because it did not have a legal presence in Australia.
“If social media companies want to operate in Australia, they should be required to establish a presence within Australia’s legal jurisdiction to more effectively be held accountable under our laws,” he said.
One of the committee’s key recommendations involves making large social media companies meet key transparency standards.
These include having an Australian presence, proactively labelling state-affiliated media, and disclosing censored content or government directions, as well as which countries employees operating in can access Australian data. Platforms that fail to meet the standards would be subject to fines, or banned by the Home Affairs Minister.
