Senator James Paterson is referring TikTok and Didi’s privacy issues to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

TikTok has previously admitted to US senators that user data is accessible in China and Australian data may be less than secure as well.

Additionally, ride share app, DiDi, has been the cause of concerns of the security of its Australian users’ data.

DiDi has stated that Australian users’ information is “only stored and accessed outside China” even though there is a warning in its privacy policy that it can be shared with entities inside China.

Shadow Minister for Cybersecurity James Paterson explained how China is “harvesting our information” to Ray Hadley.

“Social media companies who are headquartered in authoritarian countries like China are subject to their national security laws,” he said.

“Because they’re subject to those intelligence laws … their employees or as a company can be required to cooperate with Chinese intelligence agencies and provide informational material on Australian users.”

Mr Paterson stated he is urging the Information Commissioner to conduct an investigation against DiDi over concerns they are not compliant with Australian privacy laws.

“They were fined for mass breaches of China’s privacy laws but only for their Chinese domestic users and so, in response to those reports, I wrote to DiDi Australia and said, ‘given that your parent company in China has been found to be contraventional to these laws, what steps have you taken to make sure you’re compliant with Australia’s privacy laws?’

“They wrote me a reply which basically said nothing to see here, nothing to worry about.”

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