Canada bans TikTok on Government Devices

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government announced a government ban on TikTok this week. The ban targets TikTok owner ByteDance Ltd. and the government of China, both of which have been accused of using the app to collect private and sensitive data from users.

Following a review of TikTok’s data collection, the Chief Information Officer of Canada decided to delete and block TikTok on all government-issued mobile devices. 

In an email sent to employees, department officials said, “The Government of Canada continuously works to ensure the cyber security of our networks by identifying threats and vulnerabilities, including those on social media platforms.”

The move follows scrutiny of China from Canada and the US over perceived election interference and spying, respectively. 

A statement from the president of the Treasury Board of Canada, which oversees spending and operations for the government, noted that TikTok “presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.”

“The decision to remove and block TikTok from government mobile devices is being taken as a precaution,” the statement continued, “particularly given concerns about the legal regime that governs the information collected from mobile devices, and is in line with the approach of our international partners. On a mobile device, TikTok’s data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone.”

Many governments in recent years have been concerned about data sharing between TikTok and the Chinese government. The US and European Union (EU) have already introduced similar bans, citing cybersecurity.

“While the risks of using this application are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised,” the Treasury Board statement added.

What is TikTok?

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TikTok is a short-form mobile video app that hosts user-submitted videos. It encourages sharing and collaboration with users, and TikTok’s algorithm prioritizes videos on a “For You” homepage.

The app is one of the most popular mobile apps in the world, with nearly two billion monthly active users and over three billion downloads.

However, foreign governments have scrutinized the app for years due to its ties to the Chinese government. Of course, most social media apps harvest user data, which they use to sell customized ads. Still, the primary concern of many governments is whether China has access to user data. 

In a Buzzfeed report, a TikTok’s Trust and Safety department member was recorded saying, “Everything is seen in China.” However, a University of Toronto report found that TikTok does not appear “to exhibit overtly malicious behaviour similar to those exhibited by malware.” Still, the site does contain features that “privacy and security concerns,” according to the report.

While Canada is not banning TikTok on all registered Canadian devices, Trudeau told reporters after the announcement that “many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices [on whether to use TikTok].”

Research from the Social Media Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University found that around a quarter of Canadian adults use TikTok. The Conservative and New Democratic parties are also active TikTok users and use the app to reach constituents across the country.