After US and European Commission, Canada bans TikTok from government devices over security risks

After the US, Canada bans the Chinese social media app TikTok from government-issued devices over security concerns. The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat in a statement said that the app presents an "unacceptable" threat to security as TikTok's data collection methods provide access to the contents of the government phone.

The country's federal and provincial privacy regulators are jointly investigating the Chinese app owned by ByteDance, over concerns about the use and disclosure of personal information, Reuters reported.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The Treasury Board statement said, "for the broader public, the decision to use a social media application or platform is a personal choice." "However, the Communications Security Establishment’s Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre) guidance strongly recommends that Canadians understand the risks and make an informed choice on their own before deciding what tools to use."

The move comes days after the European Commission imposed a similar ban all across the continent. The commission in its statement said, "suspending the use of TikTok is a purely internal decision for cybersecurity reasons to protect the Council General Secretariat's (GSC) data and staff. As the GSC has no contractual relationship with TikTok, there is no obligation to consult or inform them."

TikTok has been repeatedly denying such intentions.

The social media said that it was disappointed by Canada's decision. A spokesperson in an emailed statement said that the decision was issued without citing any specific security concerns andno contact was made to discuss the concerns prior to the decision-making.

This recent move is another potential irritant in Sino-Canadian relations, which have been tensed for the last few years over Ottawa's suspicions that China has been conducting air and marine surveillance operations and has attempted to influence its elections. Responding to such accusations, China denied and urged Ottawa to halt what it has called unwarranted speculation and smearing.

(with inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE