Australia is scrutinizing the popular Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok for any risks it may pose to users around potential foreign interference and data privacy issues, government sources told Reuters. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government was "having a good look" at TikTok, which has also fallen under U.S. scrutiny for "national security risks." "Some of these approaches to moderating content might be inconsistent with Australian values," she told ABC radio. Two of the three directors of the new Australian TikTok operation are senior executives of Chinese parent company ByteDance, company records seen by Reuters show. TikTok Australia general manager Lee Hunter, who was recruited from Google in June, has written to Australian politicians saying TikTok was "being used as a political football."

Source: CBC News July 20, 2020 11:37 UTC