Expert comment: Is this the beginning of the end for TikTok and the Internet as a global system?

Professor Matthew Warren, Director, Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation 

Topics: TikTok, internet, cyber risks, social media, global security.  

“TikTok poses a risk for all Australians due to the excessive data collection by the TikTok app which can lead to cyber risks.  

“Montana’s ban of TikTok is part of a global trend due to global security concerns and is a key step as it is banning the use of TikTok by everyday citizens.  

“The Australian and the Victorian-state government have banned TikTok for all government employees. It is a natural next step now to ban TikTok completely as they have a duty of care to protect all Australian citizens against all risks including cyber risks. 

“However, any ban won’t remove the apps from users' phones if they already have it installed. 

“It will be interesting to see how Montana monitors the ban, as it only applies inside the state. Banning the app at a national level is more efficient since the app can easily be removed from application stores using geo-tagging as a method of controlling downloads.  

“The Internet and how it is controlled and monitored is changing, and this change is referred to as the ‘splinternet’. This is when the Internet will break down into regional versions of the Internet, e.g., China, Russia, Iran, Turkey and the West.  

“The dream of the internet being a global system ultimately disappears. 

“The issue then is how do we manage and co-ordinate a global system that has become broken off into several sub-systems. For example, if an Australian citizen is interacting on the Chinese zone of the Internet, how could you protect the data and privacy of that Australian citizen?” 

Professor Matthew Warren is the Director of the RMIT University Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation and a Professor of Cyber Security at RMIT University. 

Dr Torgeir Aleti, Senior Lecturer, School of Economics, Finance and Marketing 

Topics: TikTok, social media , personal data, regulation.  

“The motivation behind the ban seems more political, disguised as consumer protection.  

“Although banning apps by blocking them from the app stores would have some impact, users can still access the website via VPN. Users can even download it before the app-store ban rolls out so it would still work on their devices. 

“Given the political differences between Australia and America, a work-device ban seems more likely than a state ban. But, of course, a national ban on TikTok in app stores depends on what relationship Canberra wants with Beijing.  

“We may continue to see friction between regulators and consumers on one hand and tech companies and their advertisers on the other because of the underlying market logic supporting their business model is a Faustian bargain.  

“In exchange for free search results (e.g., Google), platforms to connect with friends (e.g., Instagram), information and news (e.g., Facebook), or entertainment (e.g., TikTok), consumers’ personal data and privacy are taken.  

“With TikTok, it’s the 'personal data' that causes friction indirectly because the data is allegedly stored in China – which is the main fear that is surfacing in the US. 

“TikTok, like most 'big-tech' is based on the same market logic, surveillance/information capitalism. These platforms collect user data  which they then algorithmically mould into user-profile products they can sell to the highest bidder. In return, the consumers get more personalised ads.  

“The algorithms are designed to predict what users will click on next to keep them from leaving the platform.  

“Consequently, this means that the more we use a platform, the less control we have over our own future behaviour. 

“Regulation is always an alternative rather than banning the whole app, such as laws about what data can be harvested, how algorithms can push content based on user knowledge, and whether there should be limits to targeted advertising. However, regulation must be applied equally to all platforms:  

“It’s not the end for TikTok. It is a popular app, so banning it may be a risky political strategy. That said, the popularity of social media platforms has always fluctuated (remember MySpace?), and it is tough to predict what the next big thing might be. 

Dr Torgeir Aleti is a Senior Lecturer at RMIT’s School of Economics, Finance and Marketing. His research relates to consumer socialisation, consumer behaviour, social media, digital marketing and social marketing.