On Monday, OTTAWA Canada blocked the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok from government-issued devices, saying it presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.
Canada will block federal employees from downloading the application in the future, the Treasury Board of Canada SecretariatTreasury Board of Canada Secretariat said in a statement. TikTok's data collection methods provide a lot of access to the contents of the phone, according to the statement.
TikTok said it was disappointed by Canada's decision. A company spokeswoman said that it was issued without any specific security concerns about TikTok or contacting us to discuss any concerns prior to making the decision.
The move comes days after the European Commission imposed a similar ban on TikTok, which has concerns about its proximity to the Chinese government and the holdings over user data across the world.
Canada's federal and provincial privacy regulators are investigating the app, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance Ltd, over concerns about the platform's collection, use and disclosure of personal information.
The decision to use a social media application or platform is a personal choice for the public, according to the Treasury Board statement. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security Cyber Centre guidance strongly recommends Canadians understand the risks and make an informed decision before choosing what tools to use, according to the Communications Security Establishment's Canadian Centre for Cyber Security Cyber Centre. Canada's action is one of the potential thorns in Sino-Canadian relations, which have been tense in the last few years due to accusations by Ottawa that China has tried to influence its elections and that it has been running air and maritime surveillance activities.
Beijing denies the allegations and has urged Ottawa to stop what it has described as unwarranted speculation and smearing.