For years TikTok had responded to privacy concerns by promising that information gathered about users in countries such as Australia was not sent back to China where its parent company,ByteDance,is based. But last monthit was leaked that the app had been sharing US user data .
O’Neil conceded that it was concerning that Australians “know their data is not being protected” by some companies but “they’re still used by millions of people”.
She said the government needed to better inform Australians about how their data was being used and why they should care about it.
Loading
“They might know something about the fact that the data usage is a bit unclear,but it doesn’t stop them from using the app,” she said. “We probably need to have a bit more of a discussion with people about why it is something they would be worried about.
“TikTok is not the beginning and end of this.[It’s about] very dominant technology companies and the role they are playing in our lives.”
Fergus Ryan,a senior analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute who was among the first researchers in the world to begin raising concerns about the risks of TikTok three years ago,said it was positive to see the new government taking the issue seriously.
Ryan said it was important the government recognise risks are not just limited to the fact that TikTok user data can be and is being accessed in Beijing.
“Risks also extend to the very real possibility that the Chinese Communist Party will use its leverage over TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to manipulate political discourse on the app,” he said.
“We’ve already seen that take place on WeChat,another PRC-based social media app,when they first censored and then de-platformed then-prime minister Scott Morrison.
“But it could also occur in a less direct way. Chinese information operations take place on all social media apps. There is no reason to think that they would not also be taking place on TikTok.”
Ryan said it would also be worth countries banding together to take collective action through groups such as the Quad and the Five Eyes intelligence sharing partnership.
Loading
US President Joe Biden is considering placing restrictions on TikTok,according to multiple American media outlets.
In 2018,Australia passed landmark foreign interference laws which made it a criminal offence to influence a political or government process in a way that is covert or involves deception.
O’Neil said that the government would look at the “next phase of work” that was needed to combat foreign interference in Australia.
“I think the foreign interference subject is very crucial,” she said. “And it’s getting more and more important,as tensions are rising around the world.”
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news,views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley.Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.