The Australian government has banned the TikTok app on phones

Australia’s Attorney General Mark Dreyfuss said on Tuesday that the decision was made on the advice of intelligence and security experts due to security concerns. This instruction will come into effect as soon as possible. “Exceptions are granted only in special cases and with appropriate safeguards,” Dreyfus explained.

TikTok is under increasing political pressure as it is owned by the China-based Pythons group. The online platform didn’t originate in the US, although it has been very successful in the West – with one big exception. In the US and Europe, there is growing concern that Chinese authorities and intelligence agencies are using it to collect information from users and use it for nefarious purposes.

In the US, Canada and Great Britain, the app has already been banned by government employees on company cell phones, as has the EU Commission. Legislation is also underway in the US Congress that would give President Joe Biden the power to ban the app entirely. New Zealand recently banned the app on all cellphones and other devices with access to the parliamentary network. In Germany, TikTok cannot be installed or downloaded on government cell phones.