While TikTok is not the most popular social media app in Canada, its dominance is certainly being noticed by people of all ages. At the same time, there is growing concern about the privacy policy of ByteDance, owner of TikTok. The government of Canada is now putting its foot down as The President of the Treasury Board, Mona Fortier, issued a statement announcing the ban of the use of the TikTok application on government-issued mobile devices:
“The Government of Canada is committed to keeping government information secure. We regularly monitor our systems and take action to address risks.
“Effective February 28, 2023, the TikTok application will be removed from government-issued mobile devices. 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.
“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.
“While the risks of using this application are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised.
“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.”
While government employees are not the core audience for TikTok, nor do they represent a large segment of active users, this does create a precedence that other government bodies will most likely follow.
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