A recent report from a Senate committee that was investigating how foreign powers make use of social media to meddle in Australia’s affairs has put forward a range of proposals and limitations for social media platforms. Among these recommendations is the idea of potentially prohibiting the use of the Chinese messaging service WeChat on government devices.
The report, released on Tuesday, contains a total of 17 suggestions. These include the establishment of new transparency regulations that could lead to fines for non-compliance. Additionally, the report proposes expanding the current ban on the use of TikTok on government devices to also cover contractors. The possibility of banning WeChat on government devices is also being explored.
The committee pointed out that platforms like TikTok and WeChat bring “distinct national security risks” due to their parent companies, ByteDance and Tencent, being headquartered in China and being subjected to China’s national security laws. Senator Paterson, the committee chair, emphasized that platforms controlled by authoritarian regimes, such as TikTok and WeChat, highlight the broader cyber security threat to sensitive government information.
The committee’s recommendations also include urging Australia to assist developing nations in the Indo-Pacific region to counteract “malicious information operations” carried out by authoritarian states.
The committee, led by Senator James Paterson from the Liberal Party, is comprised of five members and focuses on foreign interference via social media. Although the report’s recommendations are not legally binding, they provide important insights.
As of now, there has been no immediate response from the Prime Minister’s office or the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding the report’s suggestions.
While the report does place particular emphasis on Chinese social media platforms, it also suggests a set of 11 transparency rules. These rules would require major social media platforms to clearly identify media accounts affiliated with state entities. Additionally, these platforms would need to disclose instances where governments influence content moderation and actions taken against accounts belonging to elected officials.