(Montreal) The Canadian privacy commissioner announced Thursday that it has launched an investigation into TikTok aimed at establishing its compliance with Canadian laws, at a time when the Chinese social network is the subject of increasing surveillance from Westerners.
This information comes a few hours after the European Commission banned this application to its staff to “protect” the institution.
The investigation “comes on the heels of class action lawsuits, now settled, in the United States and Canada, and numerous media reports”.
It aims to determine “whether the organization’s practices comply with Canadian privacy laws”.
Authorities want to verify that “TikTok has obtained valid consent for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information”.
The regulator points out that many users of the social network “are among the youngest”, pointing out “the importance of protecting the privacy of children”.
The investigation also aims to “ensure that the company meets its transparency obligations”.
The Chinese social network has come under increasing scrutiny from Westerners due to fears that Beijing could access user data across the world.
Owned by the Chinese giant ByteDance, TikTok is in the crosshairs of the American authorities. A law signed into law in January by President Joe Biden prohibits the use of the popular video-sharing platform in the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as on public servants’ devices.
Relations between China and Canada have deteriorated sharply in recent years, particularly after the arrest by Canada at the request of the United States of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in 2018.