Canada: TikTok will no longer be accessible on any devices provided by the Canadian government. The app “presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security,” a government spokesperson declared in a statement following a review by Canada’s top information officer.
A representative for TikTok expressed the company’s disappointment with the choice. It was announced just a few days after the European Commission did. The modification was necessary, according to Prime Minister Mr. Justin Trudeau, because of the level of security concerns around the app.
TikTok has drawn flak for its usage of user data and connections to the Chinese government. ByteDance Ltd., a Chinese company, is the owner of the short-form video app. Late last year, US federal employees were forbidden from using TikTok the White House instructed government organisations 30 days to remove the app from their infrastructure.
The app is not permitted to be used on the networks of a handful of American universities. In numerous other Asian nations, like India, more extensive public bans have been put into place. The company maintains that a Chinese version of the app is distinct from the one used in the rest of the globe and that Chinese government officials do not have access to user data. Yet, the business acknowledged in the past year that some employees in China have access to European users’ data.
The restriction will go into effect for personnel working for the European Commission on 15th March. Concerned about user data, particularly whether TikTok has “valid and meaningful” consent from users when collecting personal information, Canadian privacy officials are now looking into the app.
According to a recent study by academics at the Social Media Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University, almost 25 percent of Canadian adults use the app.
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