A Senate committee has proposed a range of regulations aimed at addressing foreign interference through social media platforms in Australia. Among the suggestions is the potential prohibition of the Chinese messaging app WeChat on government devices.
The report, released on Tuesday, includes 17 recommendations, such as enhanced transparency measures backed by potential fines and an extension of the existing ban on TikTok to contractors working with the government. Additionally, the committee is exploring the implications of banning WeChat on government devices.
According to committee chair Senator James Paterson, platforms like TikTok and WeChat present “unique national security risks” primarily due to their ownership by Chinese firms ByteDance and Tencent, which fall under Chinese national security laws.
“These platforms, under the influence of authoritarian governments, represent a broader cyber security threat to sensitive government data,” Paterson stated.
The committee further advocated for Australia to support developing nations in the Indo-Pacific region to mitigate “malicious information operations” initiated by authoritarian regimes.
The five-member committee, led by Liberal Party Senator Paterson and featuring two members of the ruling Labor party, has produced these recommendations, which are not legally binding.
As of now, the offices of the Prime Minister and the Minister for Home Affairs have not provided a comment regarding the report.
While much of the report focuses on Chinese social media platforms, it also proposes 11 transparency regulations that would mandate all major social media outlets to label state-affiliated media accounts and disclose any governmental influence on content moderation or actions taken against elected officials’ accounts.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
