SYDNEY: Australian parliamentarians have recommended banning the Chinese messaging service WeChat on government devices, citing it as a unique national security risk.
A senate committee investigating foreign powers’ use of social media to interfere in Australia has proposed a series of rules and restrictions for social media platforms. The report contains 17 recommendations, one of which proposes a ban on WeChat usage on government devices.
The report highlights “unique national security risks” associated with companies like TikTok and WeChat, whose parent companies, ByteDance and Tencent (0700.HK), are based in China and subject to its national security laws. Senator Paterson, the committee chair, emphasized the broader cybersecurity risk to sensitive government information related to platforms controlled by authoritarian regimes.
Recommendations to Counter WeChat
The proposed recommendations also include new transparency rules enforceable by fines, an expansion of the existing TikTok ban on government devices to contractors, and an investigation into a similar ban on WeChat usage on government devices.
The committee further recommends that Australia assist developing countries in the Indo-Pacific region in countering “malicious information operations” conducted by authoritarian states.
Led by Liberal Party Senator James Paterson, the five-person committee on foreign interference through social media includes two members from the ruling Labor party, although the report’s recommendations are not binding.
As part of the proposed transparency rules, all large social media platforms would be required to label state-affiliated media accounts and disclose instances when governments direct content moderation and actions against accounts of elected officials.
The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Home Affairs office has not yet responded to requests for comments on the recommendations.
While some recommendations specifically target Chinese social media platforms, the proposed set of transparency rules would apply to all major social media platforms to enhance accountability and information disclosure in the online sphere.
