Canada joins US and EU in banning use of TikTok over cybersecurity concerns (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration)

The Government of Canada will ban as of Tuesday for federal employees to use the Chinese application TikTok on official cell phones for posing an “unacceptable” risk to your privacy and security.

Mona FortierPresident of the Treasury Board of Canada, the public body responsible for overseeing federal public servants, said in a statement that starting Tuesday, the app will be removed from all government cellphones.

“Users of these devices will also be blocked from downloading the app in the future. Following a review of TikTok, the IOC of Canada has determined that poses an unacceptable level of privacy and security risk. »he explained.

Fortier justified the move because TikTok’s data collection and input methods “provide considerable access to phone content.”

The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeaudeclared this Monday in a press conference that, although the government wants to respect the right to freedom of expression of Canadians, there are also “very important principles on the protection of data and the security of Canadians”.

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada (REUTERS/Carlos Osorio)
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada (REUTERS/Carlos Osorio)

“Like many countries around the world, we are carefully considering how to keep Canadians safe online. And the decision is that government teams and workers are better off not having access to TikTok due to concerns about its security,” Trudeau added.

The Canadian Prime Minister also anticipated that other Canadians will consider the risk that TikTok poses to their safety. “and maybe” they will act accordingly.

Similarly, Trudeau opened the door for the government to adopt more measures to ensure the security of the official apparatus.

The ban on using TikTok on official Canadian cellphones comes just days after the European Union passed a similar measure. The United States has already banned the use of TikTok on official cell phones in 2022.

The European Commission last Thursday banned the use of the Chinese app on official devices used by its staff, as the EU tries to boost its cybersecurity and following a similar move by the US Congress.

The new ban also means that European Commission staff cannot use the video sharing app on their personal devicesincluding phones with official EU communication apps installed.

The European Commission has banned the use of TikTok on its official phones (REUTERS / Yves Herman)
The European Commission has banned the use of TikTok on its official phones (REUTERS / Yves Herman)

Employees should remove the app as soon as possible and must do so by March 15.

After the news was made public, the European Commissioner for Industry, Thierry Bretonpointed to the cybersecurity risks that he said drove the decision.

“As an institution, the European Commission has been focused since the beginning of its mandate on cybersecurity, the protection of our colleagues and of course everyone who works here at the Commission,” Breton told reporters.

TikTok, whose Chinese parent company ByteDance, has come under increasing scrutiny from Westerners in recent months over fears the Chinese regime is accessing user data.

(With information from EFE)

Continue reading:

The US Attorney’s Office has recommended against using TikTok due to suspicions of Chinese espionage
The European Commission has banned the use of TikTok on its official phones and devices

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