West Australian Member of Parliament Andrew Hastie has called the Beijing-backed music app TikTok an “attractive database” for the Chinese communist regime to collect data on the “habits, psychology, and personal preferences” of over one million young Australians.
Hastie, who is also chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, told The Epoch Times on May 28, the United States believes TikTok is a “security threat.”
He said, “As our closest ally, I welcome the news that lawmakers there are considering these risks in light of their national and personal security.”
Hastie said there were “serious concerns about how the data TikTok collects may be used.”
Hastie said, “to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), TikTok is an attractive database of the habits, psychology, personal preferences of over one million young Australians.”
“That is powerful intelligence to have on our future political, military, business, and social leaders.”
“Our country is right to be concerned about how their data might be used.“ he said. ”We should each consider our own position and that of our children.”
Hastie also raised concerns on the Chinese regime’s 2017 National Intelligence Law saying it compels “Chinese businesses to share information” with the regime.
The National Intelligence Law was introduced by current Chinese leader Xi Jinping and mandates local Chinese companies to “support, assist and cooperate with state intelligence work.”
A wide reading of the law means the regime has the power to access data and personal information stored by China-based companies if it is requested by the regime.
The U.S. federal government currently has TikTok in its sights, and the social media app is subject to three pending laws aimed at curbing the influence of Chinese apps in the country.
