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‘Don’t make Tiktok a political football’, begs app in full-page ads

Tiktok has claimed ‘We’re fun’, ‘We’re safe’, and ‘We’re independent’ in a series of full-page newspaper ads across the country.

The ads’ primary plea is: “Don’t make Tiktok a political football”.

The PR offensive – which also claims the app is “one of Australia’s most loved” – comes as the brand faces increasing scrutiny over what it does with its users’ data, as well as its links, perceived or otherwise, to the Chinese Government.

Today’s ad (Click to enlarge)

There are reports the app is being investigated in Australia, with some commentators calling for it to be banned here, as it has been in India.

“Australia’s data has always been secure with us,” claims the ad, authorised by the app’s general manager in Australia, Lee Hunter. “We’re focused on your safety every day.”

In response to an opinion piece published on Mumbrella about allegations of Chinese spying via the app, Hunter told Mumbrella Tiktok places the highest importance on user privacy and integrity.

“Tiktok does not share information on users in Australia with any foreign government, including the Chinese Government, and would not do so if asked,” Hunter said.

“Tiktok Australia user data is stored in Singapore, and our chief information security officer has outlined our efforts to minimise data access across regions. Similar to industry peers, we will continue to drive our goal of limiting the number of employees who have access to user data and the scenarios where data access is enabled. Although we already have controls in place to protect user data, we will continue to focus on adding new technologies and programs focused on global data residency, data movement, and data storage across protections worldwide.”

Tiktok also said it was working to become a safer and more creative space.

“Consumers love Tiktok in Australia, precisely because we focus on providing an experience that is safe as well as fun,” Hunter added. “We already have multiple safety measures in place to protect user data, we will continue to invest in making it even safer.”

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