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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-03-07 Daily Xml
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TikTok App

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:22): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Attorney-General regarding the use of the TikTok app on government devices.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: Due to national security concerns, the social media app TikTok has been banned on work-related devices in some 25 Australian government departments including the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and a further 12 departments have implemented a partial ban for use of the app on such devices, with the Senate Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media calling for clear and consistent bans across government.

This follows the European parliament, the European union council, the European Commission banning use of the app on official devices, with similar measures being taken by the United States Congress, the United States federal government and over half of America's state governments. Canada has also banned the app from government devices. Despite these bans, and the risk of intelligence potentially being provided to the Communist Party of China, I note a number of state government ministers here in South Australia still have TikTok accounts. My questions to the Attorney-General are:

1. Is he aware of any ministers or state government officials that use the TikTok app and do they have them installed on their government-supplied devices?

2. Has the state government been briefed on the potential national security risk or state security risk of TikTok being installed on government devices?

3. Is the state government planning to ban TikTok or remove it from state government installed devices?

4. What is the Attorney-General's view on the potential risk of this app to our state's security?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:23): I thank the honourable member for his question and his ongoing interest in cybersecurity and making sure South Australia is kept as safe as possible. I know there is a part within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet that looks into cybersecurity and digital defence-type issues. I am not aware of which members of parliament or the executive have various different applications installed on their sorts of devices, but certainly I will refer his questions to the Premier and to be considered by that part of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet that deals with these matters.

Of course, when it comes to security-type issues there are some things that can be answered and some that can't, but to the extent that there is an ability to answer those I will see what can be provided back for the honourable member.

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