An Australian Senate committee recently put forth recommendations that could have significant implications for China's popular social media platforms in the country. The committee, known as the Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media, has suggested extending the existing ban on the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok to WeChat, the most widely used social media platform in China.

Additionally, the committee called for enhanced transparency from major social media giants, including Facebook and Twitter. According to the report released on Tuesday, these platforms should become more transparent, and failing to do so could result in fines.

Committee chair James Paterson emphasized that implementing the report's recommendations would make Australia a less vulnerable target for foreign interference risks. The committee aimed to address concerns surrounding both authoritarian-headquartered social media platforms like TikTok and WeChat and Western-headquartered platforms being manipulated by the actions of authoritarian governments, as exemplified by Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

The committee's inception last year was driven by the need to investigate how social media can undermine Australia's democratic values, particularly the spread of misinformation and disinformation. Notably, the committee found that China and other authoritarian regimes continue to pose an unacceptable risk to democracies by employing targeted online disinformation campaigns through social media platforms, thus distorting public debate and eroding trust in institutions.

Of particular concern were the Chinese-owned platforms, TikTok, and WeChat, with their ties to Chinese authorities raising national security concerns.

Australia, following the advice of security agencies, had already banned TikTok from government devices in April, making it the final Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partner (alongside the United States, Canada, Britain, and New Zealand) to do so. Now, the committee recommends the government consider extending this ban to WeChat due to similar data security and foreign interference risks.

Tencent, the owner of WeChat, stated it is carefully reviewing the report and is committed to protecting user privacy. While disagreeing with the report's depiction of WeChat, Tencent expressed its willingness to work with stakeholders in Australia to address concerns and ensure Australians can continue using WeChat as a means of communication.

In addition to the proposed ban extension, the committee urged large social media platforms operating in Australia to adhere to a minimum set of transparency requirements, enforceable through fines.

Major platforms like Meta (owner of Facebook and YouTube) and Twitter have yet to respond to the report's recommendations as of Wednesday.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil asserted that the government would carefully consider the report's suggestions and provide a response at a later date. Meanwhile, the government has already taken concrete action, conducting a review of security challenges associated with social media companies, based on information provided by Australian national security agencies.

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