Search. If data is stored on a server in Australia, Australian jurisdiction applies. While TikTok users’ details and videos may be stored in Singapore, there’s still potential for data to be extracted from this video content and the device and sent to China’s servers (although this hasn’t been proven to have happened).Hypothetically, it would then be possible for Chinese authorities to use biometric data to identify people using facial recognition. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis.A man holding a phone walks past a sign of Chinese company ByteDance's app TikTok, known locally as Douyin, at the International Artificial Products Expo in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China October 18, 2019.Kudlow: TikTok could operate as independent American company U.S.-China relations may be strained for decades to come. The U.S. government has already banned Chinese technology companies But there's also a presidential election in November, and President Trump It's a gamble.

But it would also potentially cost ByteDance enormous future profits.

Also, banning the app would not automatically remove it from devices on which it is already installed.Blocking access to TikTok’s servers would be done in conjunction with internet service providers (such as Telstra and Optus) as they can block access to apps and websites. Once information is transferred, it’s impossible to retract without the co-operation of the organisation or agency concerned (in this case, TikTok).But enforcing any Australia-wide ban on TikTok isn’t a simple prospect. "It's one of the reasons we don't operate Facebook, Instagram or our other services in China. And that's why private capital will line up to invest if ByteDance decides to sell.Got a confidential news tip? 16 minutes ago | 0 view. In Australia, it has an estimated 1.6 million users, mostly aged 16-24. This spurred Liberal senator Jim Molan to say TikTok was being “used and abused” by the Chinese government, while Labor senator Jenny McAllister called on TikTok’s representatives to face the select committee on foreign interference through social media.But the chief executive of its China businesses, Kelly Zhang Nan, told Chinese media the mainland version of the site, Douyin, would continue to operate in Hong Kong. There's little doubt venture capitalists would love to get their hands on as many TikTok shares as possible, given the upside. Report. We place the highest importance on user privacy and integrity. The Pentagon banned TikTok from government-issued "While our services, like WhatsApp, are used by protesters and activists everywhere due to strong encryption and privacy protections, on TikTok, the Chinese app growing quickly around the world, mentions of these protests are censored, even in the US," Zuckerberg said last year. Douyin is censored by Beijing.So why is the federal government examining this app so closely, and could TikTok really be a tool used by the Chinese government to spy on us?TikTok has a reported two billion downloads worldwide and many celebrities are also signing up. Although TikTok’s servers may be located outside China, it’s very difficult (if not impossible) to confirm where this data could end up, or what it could be used for.While location of servers can be important, possession of data is more relevant.

Trailer … 11:53. While the federal government could request the app’s removal from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, it could only do this for Australian regions and marketplaces.Users in Australia would still be able to download TikTok from another region’s store, or via a third-party source. Still, TikTok is a risk worth taking.