Canada bans WeChat, Kaspersky on govt devices due to security risks

Canada on Monday (Oct 30) banned Chinese messaging platform WeChat and the Russian antivirus program Kaspersky on government-issued mobile devices due to privacy and security risks. In a statement, Canada's treasury board said that the ban was announced after an assessment by the country's chief information officer that WeChat and Kaspersky presented an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.

"The decision to remove and block the WeChat and Kaspersky applications was made to ensure that government of Canada networks and data remain secure and protected and are in line with the approach of our international partners," the statement said.

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The board also said that it had no evidence that government information had been compromised, but the collection methods of the applications provide considerable access to a device's contents.

China criticisesban byCanada

China on Monday criticised the ban imposed on WeChat. The Chinese foreign ministry said that the ban was issued without any real evidence, under the guise of maintaining data security. The ministry added that the ban abused national power and unreasonably suppressed the behaviour of enterprises in specific countries.

On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, "We hope that the Canadian side will discard ideological prejudices, abide by the principles of market economy and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises."

Kaspersky, meanwhile, was surprised and disappointed with the ban and said that Canada decided without warning or an opportunity for the firm to address the government's concerns.

In a statement, the antivirus giant said, "As there has been no evidence or due process to otherwise justify these actions, they are highly unsupported and a response to the geopolitical climate rather than a comprehensive evaluation of the integrity of Kaspersky’s products and services."

WeChat and Kaspersky were removed from government devices and users would be blocked from downloading the applications in future.

In February, Canada banned TikTok on government devices due to similar privacy and security concerns.



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