China could be using TikTok to spy on Australians, but banning it isn’t a simple fix

TikTok has denied allegations that it is giving users’ data to the Chinese Communist Party, and pushed back on calls for the app to be banned in Australia. Paul Haskell-Dowland and James Jin Kang explain the complex dynamics in this crossposting from The Conversation.

In an age of isolation, video sharing platform TikTok has emerged as a bonding force for many. But recent headlines allege the service, owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance, is feeding users’ data to the Chinese Communist Party.

Earlier this week, the Herald Sun reported that an unnamed federal MP was pushing for the app to be banned.

Following suit, Liberal senator Jim Molan said TikTok was being “used and abused” by the Chinese government, while Labor senator Jenny McAllister called on TikTok’s representatives to face the Select Committee on Foreign Interference Through Social Media.

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