Feb. 27 (UPI) — The Canadian government will no longer allow the use of the social media app TikTok on any government-owned devices.
The China-based app poses an “unacceptable” privacy and security risk, according to Mona Fortier, president of the Treasury Board. The ban goes into effect on Tuesday.
Fortier said Canada’s Chief Information Officer conducted an assessment of TikTok, which led to the decision to ban the app. The move is being considered precautionary because of the personal data TikTok is able to access.
No government data has been compromised through the use of TikTok, according to the statement.
TikTok Canada spokesperson Danielle Morgan said the company is disappointed in the decision and in the government for not contacting TikTok about it, the National Post reports. Her statement obtained by the National Post goes on to accuse Canada of “singling out” TikTok.
The U.S. Senate and several states have similarly taken aim at TikTok in recent months. The Senate passed legislation in December to ban the app from any government devices. Sen. Josh Hawley, who introduced the legislation, said the app is a “Trojan Horse for the Chinese Communist Party.”
The European Commission’s TikTok ban will come into effect on March 15, BBC reports. It will bar commission employees from using the app on commission-issued devices.
Fortier clarified that Monday’s decision does not affect the public directly but advises that citizens should know about the risks involved in using TikTok.
