(OTTAWA) Chinese social networking app TikTok will be removed from Government of Canada-issued mobile devices starting Tuesday, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier announced Monday.
“Following a review of TikTok, Canada’s Chief Information Officer has determined that this app poses an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security,” she said in a statement. , Monday.
Users of these devices will also be prohibited from downloading the Chinese social network application in the future, added Minister Fortier, referring to a decision taken “as a preventive measure” by the Canadian government.
Ottawa is following in the footsteps of certain international allies by declaring this boycott.
PHOTO ADRIAN WYLD, THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
The President of the Treasury Board, Mona Fortier
The European Commission last Thursday banned the installation of the TikTok application on all the professional devices of its staff in order to protect the institution’s data, and this, by March 15 at the latest.
A “personal” choice, but not without danger
Without going so far as to recommend that Canadian users also delete the application, speaking of a “personal choice”, Minister Fortier pointed out that “on a mobile device, TikTok’s data collection methods give considerable access to the phone content.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau echoed the remarks on the sidelines of an announcement in the Greater Toronto Area on Monday afternoon, arguing that Canadians should be free to “make their own choices” and that this “first step meaningful” would possibly prompt them to “think about their own safety.
Privacy Survey
Last week, a federal-provincial investigation was opened into the app to establish “whether the organization’s practices comply with Canadian privacy laws and, more specifically, whether TikTok has obtained consent valid for collection.
The investigation will be conducted jointly by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and its counterpart in Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta.
It will focus on the protection of young users, including to “determine whether the company has obtained valid consent from them for the collection, use and disclosure of their personal information” , the four organizations reported.
With Agence France-Presse