Australia announced on Tuesday it would ban members of its government from using the Chinese app TikTok on their work devices, joining a series of similar rulings in western countries over security concerns.
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The decision was taken on the advice of Australian intelligence agencies and will be put into effect “as soon as possible,” Justice Minister Mark Dreyfus said.
Australia is the latest country in the so-called “Five Eyes” alliance to ban members of its government from TikTok, following the United States, Great Britain, Canada and New Zealand.
Similar measures have been taken in France, the Netherlands and within the European Commission.
At the heart of the concerns is a Chinese law from 2017 that obliges local companies to provide personal data that would be relevant to national security if the authorities request it.
TikTok said the bans were “rooted in xenophobia” before admitting last December it collected personal data to spy on journalists.
The popularity of this short video sharing app has exploded in recent years, especially among young people. Many Australian government agencies had previously attempted to expand their presence on TikTok to reach younger audiences.
The app is owned by Chinese group ByteDance, which has a similar but separate app for China.
Earlier this year, the Australian government also announced it would be removing Chinese-made surveillance cameras from politicians’ offices, including for security reasons.