A senior member of Peter Dutton’s Opposition front bench has launched an extraordinary attack on the hugely popular TikTok app and the Labor Government.
Sarah Henderson, the Shadow Minister for Communications, said TikTok is an ‘unacceptable risk to Australian children’ – which the company denies.
‘It is deeply concerning that a social media platform pitched to 13 year old children contains so much inappropriate content,’ Ms Henderson said.
‘Australian parents have every right to expect that their children will be safe online.
A senior Liberal front bencher has slammed the TikTok (pictured) app and the Labor Government
‘So why is the Albanese Government failing to act on the urgent need for tougher online privacy protections for children?’
A spokesperson for TikTok told Daily Mail Australia that ‘Keeping the TikTok community safe – especially our younger users – is our number one priority.
‘We know there is no finish line when it comes to safety and our global teams work around the clock to prevent, identify and remove content that violates our community guidelines.’
The app, which was developed and is based in China, has come under increasing pressure over some content and how it operates in recent months.
Three weeks ago, the US banned TikTok from federal government devices over growing security concerns.
Opponents of the platform have expressed concern that the Communist Chinese government could access user data stored in the country.
There is also a push to ban TikTok outright in the US, with legislation introduced by senator Marco Rubio in December to ‘ban Beijing-controlled TikTok for good’.
In August 2020, then president Donald Trump issued an executive order banning US companies from doing business with TikTok’s parent company ByteDance.
The concern in America was echoed by Ms Henderson, who said TikTok may appear innocent and fun but it’s an online platform which presents unacceptable dangers.
‘TikTok’s data collection practices are frightening. Every bit of information – from the model of the phone to contact lists and email addresses – can be obtained,’ she claimed.
It is estimated that TikTok has 2.5 million Australian users, with around 30 per cent of them under 15.
Ms Henderson said that ‘TikTok has the capacity to track a user’s content preferences, shared messages and location.
‘Its privacy policy allows keystrokes entered on a device to be captured, meaning any content created can be accessed.’
She added TikTok users are ‘highly vulnerable to attack by hackers’ as the company collects ‘so much personal information’.
A TikTok spokesperson said operating in Australia is ‘a privilege’ it takes seriously and that it aims to ‘exceed the data security standards applied to companies that operate here’.
‘In line with standard industry practice, we collect some information if users choose to provide it to help the app function and operate securely, and to improve the user’s experience.
‘We do not track the precise location of users, nor do we capture keystrokes.
‘It is fundamentally untrue to say that TikTok is “highly vulnerable to attack by hackers”,’ they said.
Sarah Henderson (pictured), the Shadow Minister for Communications, said TikTok is an ‘unacceptable risk to Australian children’
Ms Henderson also accused Labor of failing to take action on TikTok.
‘So far, we have seen and heard nothing from the Albanese Government on this critical issue,’ she said.
‘It is time that Communications Minister Michelle Rowland made the online safety of children the highest priority.’
Ms Henderson has invited parents, teachers, children and young adults to tell her about any problems they have had with TikTok by emailing her at [email protected].
She has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Labor Government to support the Coalition’s Online Privacy Bill.
The bill includes making social media companies consider the best interests of the child when handling the personal information of children, such as obtaining parental consent before apps are downloaded.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Henderson seeking further comment and also contacted Ms Rowland.
