Calls for TikTok to be banned in Australia over Chinese spying fears. The Australian Government is facing calls to ban social media app TikTok over national security and spying concerns. Plans are underway to haul the video-sharing platform before the Foreign Interference through Social Media senate inquiry amid fears the Chinese-owned platform leaks users’ information to Beijing. The popular video app, owned by Chinese company Bytedance, is used by more than 1.6 million Australians. It allows users, most of them in the 16-24 age bracket, to record videos of themselves and broadcast them on the app. Something else that is sure to further pi** off Beijing. Firstly we ban Huawei from having anything to do with building Australia's 5G network now TikTok. The teenieboppers will not be pleased.
I have been reading for a while lately about this app being Chinese spyware, but up until now, it has been allowed to continue to be used. It is looking like more countries than Australia are apt to ban the app, including the United States. This is a blog post from the CEO of GAB, and he explains really well what the app does as far as spying goes, and why it is probably being banned and removed from the app stores.