The Australian Information Commissioner’s office initiates an inquiry into the platform’s use of marketing pixels to monitor online behaviors
Australia’s privacy watchdog, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), is conducting an investigation into TikTok’s data harvesting practices to determine if it complies with consent standards. The inquiry focuses on the use of marketing pixels, which track online behaviors, potentially breaching the online privacy of Australians. This scrutiny includes monitoring shopping habits, time spent on websites, and gathering personal details like email addresses and mobile numbers. Senator James Paterson, a critic of TikTok and its parent company ByteDance, claims the platform is using pixels to gather information from non-TikTok users.
Such behavior would be deemed inappropriate from any company, but it’s especially concerning since TikTok is linked to the Chinese Communist Party. Under China’s intelligence laws, the platform is obligated to share information with Chinese government intelligence agencies,” stated Paterson.
A TikTok spokesperson countered, asserting that the use of marketing pixels is “in compliance with all existing Australian privacy laws and regulations,” dismissing any insinuation to the contrary.
The spokesperson mentioned that the utilization of pixels, an optional choice for our advertising clients, is a tool widely employed across the industry to enhance the efficiency of advertising services.
The OAIC initiates an inquiry to assess if there is sufficient evidence for a formal investigation into the allegations. Attorney General Mark Dreyfus highlighted that the privacy commissioner now possesses enhanced legislative information-gathering authority for such inquiries. He emphasized the expectation of TikTok’s full cooperation with the privacy commissioner when serious allegations are raised.
Anticipated privacy legislation, a response to the privacy act review, is slated to be introduced in parliament in the coming year.
Senator Paterson, leading an effort against TikTok, advocates for treating the app and its Chinese-owned parent company as a significant national security concern. He emphasized that the recent disclosures add to a series of misdeeds by TikTok and ByteDance, including allegations of spying on journalists, suppressing content critical of the Chinese Communist Party, and attempting to mislead the public about ByteDance’s extensive connections to the Chinese government.
TikTok needs to be transparent, fully cooperate, and adhere to Australia’s regulatory authorities without resorting to the evasive tactics witnessed in the past when facing scrutiny.
Recently, TikTok faced a €345 million ($560 million) fine for violating EU data laws regarding children’s accounts, following a £12.7 million ($24 million) fine from the UK data watchdog for unlawfully processing the data of 1.4 million children under the age of 13 using its platform.
Earlier this year, the platform faced a ban on Australian government devices, mirroring actions taken in other Western nations. The Albanese government justified the ban by citing the app’s “significant security and privacy risks to non-corporate commonwealth entities.” These risks were attributed to the extensive collection of user data and potential exposure to extrajudicial directives from a foreign government, conflicting with Australian law.
Despite these challenges, TikTok reported 8.5 million Australian users in June and has become the preferred social media app for Generation Z.