Phew: PM Scott Morrison Has Ruled Out Banning TikTok in Australia

You can breathe a sigh of relief.

Over the past couple of months, there have been growing calls to ban TikTok in Australia over national security and spying concerns.

The speculation initially kicked off after The Herald Sun reported that a Senate committee had asked TikTok's Aussie's representatives to answer some security questions about the app, which was launched by Beijing-based company Bytedance in 2018. 

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has previously expressed concerns over TikTok's ties to China, and how secure our data is on the video-sharing app. Mr Morrison also warned that the government was investigating whether it posed a security threat. 

However, yesterday Mr Morrison indicated that the federal government will not ban TikTok. 

As reported by the ABC, the PM told Aspen Security Forum: "There's nothing at this point that would suggest to us that security interests are being compromised, or Australian citizens are being compromised." 

"We'll obviously keep watching them, but there's no evidence to suggest to us today that [a ban] is a step that is necessary." 

In saying that, Mr Morrison has warned Aussies that the app "connects right back to China", and has urged users to proceed with caution.

While it appears TikTok will not be banned in Australia, in the United States, President Donald Trump has set a 15 September deadline for the app to find a U.S. buyer. 

If it fails to do so, Trump has threatened to shut down the app in the country.

august: tiktok ban...wonder what september is gonna bring us

— noel (@recontf) August 1, 2020

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced that it was in discussions to buy TikTok in the U.S. The company also said they would explore a proposal to purchase the app's operations in Australia. 

Well, at least we know we've got plenty of time to continue mastering all the TikTok dances we can. Oh, and sharing what we'd do if we were in The Hunger Games.

@skincarebyhyram

Inspired by @kenziritotheburrito 👑 ##hungergames ##skincarebyhyram

♬ original sound - codeinebabi

Header Image: NurPhoto / Contributor / NurPhoto via Getty Images