Beginning on Tuesday, Canada will prohibit the video software TikTok from all smartphones obtained through the government.
The app “presents an unacceptable level of danger to privacy and security,” according to a statement from a government official. The decision was made after an assessment by Canada’s top information officer.
According to a spokesperson for TikTok, the firm was dissatisfied by the choice.
It was issued just a few days following a similar restriction by the European Commission.
Concerns about safety
According to Justin Trudeau, the prime minister, there is sufficient cause for concern about the app’s security to warrant the change.
He remarked on Monday during a press conference close to Toronto, “This may be the first step, this may be the only step we need to do.”
Due of its links to the Chinese government and usage of private information, TikTok has drawn criticism.
The Chinese company ByteDance Ltd. is the owner of the short-form video app.
TikTok usage was prohibited for US federal employees late last year, and the White House on Monday instructed government organizations 30 days to remove the app from their infrastructure.
The usage of the software on their networks has been prohibited by a number of American universities. In India and numerous other Asian nations, wider public bans have been put into place.
The business maintains that the Chinese government does not have access to user information and that the Chinese version of the app is distinct from the one used by users elsewhere. Yet, the corporation acknowledged that some of its employees in China have access to European users’ data last year.
On March 15, the restriction will go effective for workers at the European Commission.
Canadian privacy authorities are also looking into TikTok because they have concerns about user data, namely whether the corporation has “valid and meaningful” consent from users when gathering personal information.
According to a recent study by experts at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Social Media Lab, about 25% of Canadian adults use the app.
The government “is dedicated to keeping government information secure,” according to a statement from Mona Fortier, president of Canada’s Treasury Board.
This week, the software will no longer be accessible on smartphones with government-issued phones and will no longer be available for download in the future.
“TikTok’s data collection methods on a mobile device allow significant access to the contents of the phone,” Ms. Fortier stated. We currently have no proof that government information has been hacked, despite the hazards of utilizing this application being obvious.
The nation’s chief information officer sits on the Treasury Board, which regulates how the federal government does business.
In response, TikTok
An organization spokeswoman claimed in a statement that the restriction on devices obtained through the government was implemented “without stating any specific security concerns about TikTok or contacting us to raise any concern before to making this decision.”
The statement stated, “Singling out TikTok in this way does nothing to achieve that shared aim. We are always available to meet with our government representatives to discuss how we protect the privacy and security of Canadians.
“What it does is block government representatives from communicating with the people on a platform that millions of Canadians adore.”
