Video sharing platform TikTok has beefed up its campaign to uphold its reputation amid calls for the app to be banned in Australia.
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The platform is owned by a Chinese company but insists it has never shared user data with Beijing.
"Don't make TikTok a political football," the company has written in a full page advertisement published in major Australian newspapers on Wednesday.
The advert says TikTok is one of Australia's most loved apps and that it's fun, safe and independent.
"Australia's data has always been secure with us. We're focused on your safety every day."
The campaign comes days after the company's Australian general manager Lee Hunter sent a letter to federal MPs in a bid to alleviate concerns about the app's connection to China.
The letter says Australian user data is stored in Singapore and the US, and that such information has never been given to the Chinese government.
"Nor would we do so if asked," Mr Hunter wrote.
"The truth is, with tensions rising between some countries, TikTok has unfortunately been caught in the middle, and is being used by some as a political football.
"I assure you - we're a social media platform for sharing videos - that's all."
TikTok is currently expanding in Australia and is advertising for dozens of jobs.
An anonymous federal MP told the Herald Sun earlier this month the app should be banned in Australia, insisting the Chinese government had a hold of it.
TikTok is expected to front a parliamentary inquiry into foreign interference through social media.
Asked about the company earlier this month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said people needed to be conscious of where their data was going.
"I think it's right for people to have an increased awareness of where these platforms originate and the risk they present," he said.
Australian Associated Press
