Australian Government Will Complete National Checks On TikTok If Advised

The Federal Government said it would act on recommendations to take action against social media app TikTok if advised by secuirty agencies. 

It comes as new direction from the White House giving all US federal agencies 30 days to clear the app from government devices.

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Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government had been given no direction to take any action, but would so upon security agencies recommendations.

We’ll take the advice of our national security agencies. But the advice to us hasn’t yet changed.

- Treasurer Jim Chalmers to ABC TV

Canada and much of the EU have already implemented government employees bans for the app.

Australian cyber safety expert Susan McLean said if the United States and Canada were this concerned, Australia should be "looking at it very seriously as well".

"I think that if anyone actually knew the data that was being collated on them when they used it, how it was being used, and the fact that it can be fed back to the Chinese Communist Party, many people would simply walk away - but there is not a great understanding of that," Ms McLean told Nine's Today.

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