In what is uphold as ‘security concerns’, Canada on Tuesday will effect the ban of TikTok from all government-issued devices.
As per BBC report, the decision follows a review by Canada’s chief information officer, and the app “presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security”, a government spokesperson said in a statement.
A Chinese firm ByteDance Ltd spokesperson said the company was disappointed by the decision.
A company spokesperson said the ban on government-issued devices happened “without citing any specific security concerns about TikTok or contacting us to discuss any concern prior to making this decision”.
“We are always available to meet with our government officials to discuss how we protect the privacy and security of Canadians, but singling out TikTok in this way does nothing to achieve that shared goal,” the spokesperson said.
“All it does is prevent officials from reaching the public on a platform loved by millions of Canadians.”
The latest development comes just days after the European Commission announced a similar ban.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there was enough concern about security around the app to require the change.
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“This may the first step, this may be the only step we need to take,” he said on Monday at a press conference near Toronto.
Likewise, United States federal employees were banned from using TikTok late last year, and on Monday the White House gave government agencies 30 days to scrub the app from their systems.
A number of American universities have banned the app from being used on their networks. Broader public bans have been implemented in India and several other Asian countries.
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The video App, TikTok has been criticised for its use of personal information and ties to the Chinese government.
