The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) advised its citizens to not use TikTok, citing that the user data is "available to the government of China."
The U.S. government has been working to regulate and potentially ban social media platforms from the country due to security concerns linked with China.
Canadians Discouraged From Using TikTok
In an interview with CBC News, David Vigneault, CSIS director, warned Canadian TikTok users, especially teenagers against using the app. He also stated that he would not recommend someone to have an account on the platform.
According to Vigneault, China has been using big data analytics and computer farms to analyze all the data from their users. These data will allegedly be used to train AI models for their country.
"There is a very clear strategy on the part of the government of China ... to be able to acquire ... personal information from anyone around the world," he added. He also warned teenagers from using the account citing that China would have a lot of information about a user within five to 10 years.
TikTok Accused of Helping China's System
In the U.S., the popular social media company is facing a possible ban. Last month, President Joe Biden signed the legislation that could effectively ban TikTok in the country.
ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, was given six months to divest its shares to prevent a nationwide ban. In other regions, the company is also accused of helping China to take down the Uyghur minority and targeting Hong Kong protesters.
The social media giant has been firm in its explanation that its servers are outside China and that it has no intention of sharing user data with the Chinese Communist Party.
"We will continue to engage with Canadian officials and would welcome the opportunity to meet with CSIS to discuss how we protect the privacy and security of Canadians," said Danielle Morgan, TikTok's spokesperson in Canada.
