Labor eyes TikTok’s US legal battle as the social video platform shuffles local board
The social media giant has moved to sue the US government in a bid to thwart efforts to force its parent ByteDance to divest from TikTok or see the app banned from 2025.
The federal government is keeping a close watch on TikTok’s efforts to block a US law that could force Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell the app or face a ban, as the platform’s Australian subsidiary quietly reshuffles its board of directors.
The social media giant has moved to sue the US government to counter moves to compel ByteDance to divest from TikTok. Without a sale, the app faces a potential ban next year due to national security concerns over ByteDance’s ties to Chinese authorities.
This legal challenge follows a period of explosive user growth for TikTok alongside increasing global scrutiny. In Australia, the app was banned from government devices last year and later became the focus of a privacy probe by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
While the OAIC’s preliminary inquiry did not make any formal findings against TikTok, the government remains alert. Newly sworn-in Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said that his office is monitoring developments in the United States, ahead of the potential US ban, which could take effect from January next year.
