Canada bans TikTok: Amid security concerns, the Canadian government on Tuesday banned the social media app TikTok from all its devices. A release issued by the nodal agency, the Treasury Board Secretariat said the decision to “remove and block TikTok from government mobile devices is being taken as a precaution, particularly given concerns about the legal regime that governs the information collected from mobile devices, and is in line with the approach of our international partners. On a mobile device, TikTok’s data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone”.
The concerns are related to the short-form video-sharing platform’s owner China based ByteDance. New security norms from Beijing can compel companies to share information and data when demanded.
To be removed from government devices
The application will be removed from all government-issued devices on Tuesday. “Users of these devices will also be blocked from downloading the application in the future. Following a review of TikTok, the Chief Information Officer of Canada determined that it presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security,” Treasury Board president Mona Fortier said.
She added there was “no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised”.
Earlier, United States and the European Union had banned TikTok. India banned TikTok in 2020.
Not banning the app for users
Canada is not banning the app for users but Fortier warned that the Communications Security Establishment’s Canadian Centre for Cyber Security or Cyber Centre has issued guidelines. It strongly recommended that “Canadians understand the risks and make an informed choice on their own before deciding what tools to use”.
Meanwhile, the company said, “We’re disappointed that the Chief Information Officer of Canada has moved to block TikTok on government-issued mobile devices without citing any specific security concerns about TikTok or contacting us to discuss any concern prior to making this decision.”
Action after joint investigation
This action follows an investigation by the Canadian privacy commissioners at the national and provincial levels.
A release from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada had noted the joint investigation of the short-form video streaming application will also involve privacy commissioners of the provinces of Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia.
The regulators will “examine whether the organisation’s practices are in compliance with Canadian privacy legislation and in particular, whether valid and meaningful consent is being obtained for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information”.
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