There have already been countries that have had security issues with the Beijing-based ByteDance app, TikTok, particularly the US. Now, Canada is reportedly heading on the same trajectory as they plan to ban the app from government-issued devices.
TikTok Ban on Government-Issued Devices
Following in the footsteps of the US Federal government banning the short-form video app on their devices, Canada is now also doing the same. The app will automatically be removed and blocked from all government-issued mobile devices.
Upon review of TikTok, it was stated that the app's behavior in relation to the Policy on Service and Digital found that the collection methods of the app could result in users becoming vulnerable to potential cyber-attacks, as mentioned in Engadget.
Mirroring the concerns of the US and the EU, Canada is wary of the possibility that the Chinese government might be able to access the data that TikTok has of its users, seeing as the country where TikTok's parent company is located are able to request access to data any time.
The ban will be effective by February 28th. The ban follows a review of the app, after the Chief Information Officer of Canada determined that it presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security and that it is only a precaution.
TikTok Canada spokesperson Danielle Morgan stated that they were disappointed with the decision of the Federal Chief Information officer, according to National Post, since there were no specific security concerns cited.
Morgan also stated that the government is "singling out" the short-form video app, and it will prevent officials from reaching the public through TikTok, which Morgan claims was loved by millions of Canadians.
ByteDance has claimed that Canadian user data is secure within the US and Singapore, and there are no intentions to provide them to the Chinese government, although previous incidents with other countries regarding user data in the app do not align with the statement.
Related Issues with TikTok Data Access
This has long been an issue for government agencies, considering the previous incidents where TikTok employees accessed the data of American journalists, including their IP addresses. Although the employees were already fired, it has made issues worse.
The company has been denying the allegations many times, saying that they only track approximate locations, which are used to show relevant content and ads to users based on their area, and prevent potential fraud.
TikTok is also using Oracle for the storage of US user data, which is a cloud storage based in Silicon Valley. Still, many states in the US have already banned the app on government-issued devices.
The company was also under investigation back in November 2022 regarding EU citizen data being accessed in China. Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr shared a letter that points out the previous incidents in the US.
It was expressed in the letter that it's possible for it to happen to the EU as well and that EU citizen data could be accessed by Chinese authorities at any time. It was also satiated that it would be a serious mistake to let it happen during the "geopolitical positioning" for the EU.
